


Alternare

by Little_Corn



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Aerokinesis, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Brotherhood, Clairvoyance, Completed, Conflict, Crime, Drama, Fighting, Happy Ending, M/M, Mind Manipulation, Mystery, OT8, Superpowers, Telekinesis, Teleportation, This is a prequel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-21
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:08:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 29
Words: 58,917
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26587906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Little_Corn/pseuds/Little_Corn
Summary: ***PREQUEL TO "RESOLVING CONFLICT"***Reading the first book is not necessary but it'll introduce you to the characters and give some insight to what's happening in this prequel.Summary:8 Boys, 8 Stories, 1 HistoryHongjoong, Seonghwa, Yunho, Yeosang, San, Mingi, Wooyoung, and Jongho were 8 young men who were just becoming adults. They went to different schools, had different hobbies, liked different foods, and lived separate lives, but they all had two things in common: they had superpowers, and their mothers were either missing, or were no longer in this world.Random coincidences, or fate, as some might say, brought these 8 boys together as each of them try to learn more about their past. On this journey, they realize that the origins of their superpowers were more complicated than they would want them to be. With dangerous enemies lurking around every corner, will these special boys trust each other, or will they turn around and go back to their original lives?Will they acknowledge the one defining quality that made their lives much more interesting, or will they stick to normalcy and pretend as if their past was nothing more than history?
Relationships: Choi Jongho/Everyone, Choi Jongho/Jeong Yunho, Choi San/Everyone, Jeong Yunho/Everyone, Jung Wooyoung/Everyone, Kang Yeosang/Everyone, Kim Hongjoong/Everyone, Park Seonghwa/Everyone, Song Mingi/Everyone
Kudos: 36
Collections: From ATEEZ to Alternare





	1. A Piece of Paper

**Author's Note:**

> In case you didn't know, this is the prequel for my previous book "Resolving Conflict". Reading that book is not necessary, so you can keep reading this chapter if you want :)

_May 27, 2018_

**Hongjoong**

I strained my ears to listen to his last words. Tears were already pooling up in my eyes, despite my attempts to blink them away. My vision turned blurry, reminding me of the time pool water went into my goggles when I was swimming. That memory pained me.

My father was looking at me from the other side of the pool then, taking pictures with his phone that was stored safely inside a water proof bag. And now, though he was still smiling, he was laying in a hospital bed right in front of me, living his last moments of his life.

When the doctor told me to prepare myself through the phone, I dropped everything in my hands and ran out of campus with nothing but my phone and wallet. I was still listening to the doctor's solemn voice as I started my car's engine.

"Hongjoong ah..."

I listened to his voice, as frail and raspy as a piece of ancient, wrinkled paper, and immediately felt my eyes burn. With shaking hands I poured him a cup of water and placed the plastic rim against his mouth. I didn't want him to talk. What if he accidentally used up his last breath?

His pale lips sucked in a tiny gulp of water. I pulled the cup away reluctantly, but my father's hand grabbed my arm and I stopped, the cup dangling in midair. His hand was freezing cold, and I begged him silently to just put it back under the warm blankets, but he tugged on my arm instead.

"You're getting it all over your face," he said as I leaned forward, wiping my tears away with his other hand, so cold I had to tense in order to not flinch.

Just so my father's effort would not be wasted, I suppressed my tears as best as I could, even though my nose turned sour again the moment the piece of tissue left my face.

"Listen, my precious son." I was planning to set the half full cup down somewhere, but the weight of his tone and the crinkles around his dreary gaze captured my full attention and I found myself unable to move a muscle.

"I'm...so, so sorry I have to leave you like this. You grew up so fast, but to me you're still just a child, and...it's not fair for you to have to continue on like this, by yourself." He stopped here and smiled the smile that he always used whenever he was going to say something funny. "And it's not fair to have to have an ugly old man as your last memory of your father."

I shook my head, biting my lips so I wouldn't cry. "That's not funny at all," I said playfully.

My eyes danced across my father's face now, taking in his features so I could always recall this image in the days, weeks, months, and years after. He was the only one in our family to have droopy, soft eyes, but he had dark brown pupils just like me, and everyone said we had shiny, round orbs that made us look as if we carried hidden knowledge of the world.

"That would be Hongjoong, not me," my father would say, before letting out a hearty laugh.

"And I'm sorry I kept this secret for 15 years of your life," said my father. His voice grew even quieter, barely loud enough to be heard over the humming of a nearby fan.

A few hoarse coughs escaped his mouth. His hollow cheeks and thin frame could barely handle the impact. My father wasn't old at all -- he had me when he was 22 -- but all the medications and treatment and days of poor appetite had taken a toll on his body. His thinning hair had gray edges, his lips were dry and pale, his cheek bones were protruding, and he was so thin I could see the veins crawling all over his skin like poisonous ivy on a rickety fence.

"What secret?" I asked, curiosity temporarily winning over my heartbreak.

"Help me sit up." I used one hand to support his back and he frowned as he struggled to lift his upper body. "Under my pillow..." He started turning around but I stopped him and slipped a hand under the flat pillow. I made out the dent in the shape of my father's head and imagined how uncomfortable his nights must've been if he had to use ergonomic pillows back at home.

My heart tightened in my chest as I realize that it was my fault for not bringing the special pillows here. For not caring enough.

I pulled out a piece of folded paper, yellowed, wrinkled, and torn at the edges, as if it was opened and closed very often.

"What's this?"

My father nodded at me to spread out the paper, my fingers working extra slowly on the frail edges lest it tears.

Big bold words screamed at me as I revealed its contents. It was a newspaper article. "It's from 2002." My voice grew quiet as I read the headline and examined the faded picture.

 **EXPLOSION DEVASTATED** **_INNOCREATION_ **  
**CONTROLLED OR ACCIDENTAL?**

The photo on the side was of a big white building with numerous windows, surrounded by bare land and wild trees. In smaller print, the caption read: Innocreation, _built in 1973 by renowned scientist Yun Yeongcheol._

My eyes danced across the rest of the page, looking for anything that might jump out to me, but all I learnt by the end was that a science lab exploded when I was still an innocent toddler. Disbelief coursed through me. My dad was on the verge of dying and _this_ was what he wanted to tell me? Some news about a building I've never heard of?

"Why are you showing me this?" Try as I might, I couldn't hide the irritation in my voice. "And why were you keeping it under your pillow?"

My father closed his eyes and exhaled deeply before opening them again. "I didn't want to tell you this before you finish university and find a stable job, but since I'm going, it's only fair that you learn about this."

The paper crumpled between my fingers. "What? Learn about what?"

"I wish I knew more, but I found this after your mother disappeared," said my father. "It's the only clue that could explain what happened to her." His breaths were shallow, and had an irregular rhythm to it.

"What?" It was all I could say at that point. I was finding it hard to breathe too, but for different reasons. I could hear the thumps of my heart, growing higher in frequency by the second. I think I was sweating, but I couldn't be sure.

"Dad, are you okay? Do you need more water?" Helping my dad feel more comfortable was the only thing I could bring myself to do. My brain needed time to catch up. I would figure it out later. We could do this slowly. "Should I call someone-"

"Hongjoong." His voice stunned me, and a deep sense of dread settled in the pit of my stomach. I looked into the firm brown pupils and forced myself to listen. To ignore the fact that I was listening to my father's last words.

"You have to find out what happened. Why your mother left us suddenly one night. Why she was found dead two months later."

I grabbed my father's hand and started to shake my head again. I wanted him to stop talking. I thought I could take it but it was all too much. He shouldn't be saying these things now. "Stop, please just stop. Mom left us because she found a rich guy. Her death was merely an accident."

A nearby nurse pulled open a curtain in the adjacent bed and said something to the patient, just as a few visitors slid open the door and chattered all the way to the patient on the far side of the room. These are the sounds of a typical hospital ward, but it sounded so intrusive when I was sat here in the corner, next to my dad's deathbed.

I could feel my father's hand on mine. His fingers closed around my palm for only a split moment before they loosened up again. Like a rubber band near its breaking point: you could only pull it so much before you had to release it.

"You never believed those lies," he whispered, his life fading away along with his voice. "So this is your chance to find the truth. You're special, Hongjoong. Your mother might be too."

Once the first drop of tear rolled down my cheek, I couldn't stop crying. He was right, no matter how much I didn't want him to be.

My mother started acting evasive after I told her about my ability to read and manipulate minds. I tried to convince myself it was something else, but it was just a delusion.

"It's okay dad, we'll find out together. I'm not mad at you, so let's do this together." I could feel my hand shaking, turning cold like my father's.

"I'm sorry son, I'm too tired for this. You're smart enough to figure this out." Panic kicked in as I saw my dad's eyelids threatening to fall.

"No, no, you're not." I was shaking my dad's arm now, trying to keep him awake. "You have to tell me more, dad, you have to!" I was swallowing tears. They tasted saltier than ever. "How am I supposed to work with just one paper?!"

My desperate voice and choking sobs turned heads in the room, but my eyes stayed on my father's face. His serene expression anchored me in place.

I understood then that we've reached our destination.

The newspaper was now a crumpled ball inside my closed fist. When I could no longer see my father's pupils I squeezed my eyes shut, pushing a few more tears out. I let my head drop onto the bed, next to my father's arm.

In one last, desperate moment, I reached into my father's mind.

I didn't expect to hear anything, and for an agonizing minute all I saw was a deep void of emptiness. The first glow of words came just when I was about to lift my head. They began very soft and distant, steadily growing in clarity in my mind:

_Hongjoong ah, whatever the truth is, I'm sure your mother had no part in it. So don't blame her. It's ok if you don't find anything. We just want you to be happy. Remember that. Good luck, my son._

_We love you always._

Then my father's hand slipped away from mine, and I knew that I was finally alone. Not orphaned, because I'm 19, and you only count as an orphan if you were under 18. Just alone.


	2. A Notebook

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yunho found his name in San's notebook and he wasn't exactly happy about it. He talked to San and learnt an interesting thing or two about a student in his university.

_May 27, 2018_

**Yunho**

It was late. I should've been sleeping, getting ready for the early lectures tomorrow morning, but something was keeping me awake. A lot of things, actually.

I looked around my dorm room, my eyes long accustomed to the fuzzy darkness. I was sitting at my side of the desk, a long wooden table with a column of drawers in the middle to separate the space in half. To my left was the short hallway leading to the door, and behind me were two beds, partitioned by a stubby nightstand. 

My bed was still made, untouched since this morning when I woke up. My roommate, San, was already sleeping soundly, curled up in a ball on his side with one hand under the pillow and one hand holding his favourite plushie - a blue totoro.

The only window in the room was right above the desk. San and I never bothered with the dusty curtains, so I could see the moon clearly. It was still waxing, a tiny corner still waiting to appear and penetrate the night sky. Scant moonlight shone through the glass and scattered onto the notebook spread open in front of me.

I almost felt angry as I thought of my sleeping roommate, because he was a large reason I was sleep deprived, but I knew it wasn't his fault. I was only suffering the consequences of my own actions.

The notebook didn't belong to me. It was San's. I found it on the floor next to his bed when I entered the room after taking a shower. He must've fell asleep while doing something with it. I didn't mean to read the things on it, but coincidences were a strange thing and when I bent down to pick it, I caught my name on the lined page.

I brought it back to my desk where it was marginally brighter, just to see why San was writing about me. I just wanted to check.

And now I wish I hadn't.

San was writing about what I wanted to forget since 16 years ago. There were diagrams, circles, lines, arrows, and underlined words. But the question marks were really what worried me. You only asked questions when you wanted to find answers.

But I didn't want to find them. I didn't want to know what really happened during my parent's car crash, or why me and my brother were unscathed despite being at the passenger seats. Nor did I want to know why San, Jongho, and I seemed different than other people.

My brother and I discovered our abilities after the accident. After the shock had worn off, I thought back to the precise moment when everything froze in place. Glass shards were floating around us, and a street lamp was hanging above our car as if gravity had no effect on it.

It all made sense later in the orphanage, when I tried snatching a toy that someone had stolen from all the way across the room, and when Jongho made wind in a windowless room whenever he felt hot.

He could manipulate air, and I was telekinetic. It took us years to adapt and accept our differences, to realize that other people weren't like us. By then we just wanted to put everything behind us.

Then San came by when I was in high school and reverted all my previous effort to forget everything. The first thing he said when he met me was:

"I'm sorry about your parents. At least you still have a brother."

I was too shocked to be angry at the insensitive comment. I asked him how he knew because that was the only thing that could come out of my mouth.

"I see everyone's most important memory when I first meet them," he replied.

For a very long time, Jongho and I were overjoyed to finally have someone like us. It was a relief, but it didn't last long. We couldn't deny the fact that we are only three boys, against the rest of the world. 

I thought we decided unanimously to move on with our lives, to not use our powers unless they were necessary. I thought we all wanted our lives to be as normal as possible, which was why I felt the knot of anxiety wedged up the back of my neck.

San's notebook wasn't new. He had been trying to find answers for a long time.

The room dimmed as a cloud passed by the moon. I closed the note book and placed it on San's cluttered desk.

Out of sight, out of mind. I reminded myself, even though I've always doubted that saying. Out of sight, out of mind.

I shouldn't have picked the notebook up. What seemed like an innocuous task had kept me awake for 3 hours, and now I had no choice but to talk to San when morning comes.

I woke with a jolt. The dream still lingered in my mind, so fresh I could almost feel the impact of our car crashing. My hand went to my face instinctively to shield my eyes from the bright rays of the morning sun. It was annoying, but it never failed once to burn away the sleep in my eyes.

"Bad dream?"

San was already awake, now looking at me from his desk with a half concerned, half empathetic face.

"Yea, but I'm fine," I replied groggily. San went back to scouring his desk for the materials he needed for the day.

My eyes settled on the notebook in San's hand and they stayed there until it disappeared into San's schoolbag. I couldn't decide how to start. I knew it would mean that I had to be truthful about invading San's privacy and I was ready for that, but the excuses came nonetheless.

 _I should ask San about his notebook after our classes so he wouldn't be distracted,_ I thought as I got out of bed.

With my occupied mind, the lectures felt much longer than they were supposed to be, so when I exited the lecture hall after my last class I was practically running to find San. Talking to him was the only way to clear my mind.

I found San walking towards the building exit from another lecture hall. I chased up to him and matched his pace so we could walk side by side. "You don't have any more lessons today, right?"

"Oh, I was looking for you too," San said. "And no, I'm free for the rest of the day." He narrowed his eyes at me. "And here I thought you memorized your best friend's schedule."

I gave San a halfhearted chuckle as we walked out the building. The summer heat was already kicking in. "Do you want to grab a coffee with me?"

"Depends." We walked along the path between flower beds towards our dorm building. "Are you paying?"

I wanted to play along with him, but I was getting too desperate to try. "Sure."

San turned his head at him, no doubt surprised by my curt answer. "The usual?"

I nodded and picked up my pace subtly. 

The usual cafe we always visited, _Hazelnut Cafe,_ was right next to the university. They specialized in hazelnut products, but I always ordered Latte while San ordered Cappuccino.

"Here's the thing," I began after taking one sip of my iced coffee.

San interrupted me before I could continue. "You have something to tell me?"

"How did you know?"

San gave me an are-you-kidding-me look. "Come on, I've known you for years! I know when you're hiding something."

I thought back to my day, but couldn't find anything that might've given myself away. "Was I that obvious?"

"Very." San nodded in an overly serious way. "You were doodling in your notebook. And the professor had to call your names three times to get your attention."

My cheeks started to heat up. I had no recollection of those events.

San sighed. "You were that out of it?"

I took a big gulp of latte to cool myself. "Just listen to me, and you'll understand."

So I told him everything, from picking up his notebook to losing sleep for three hours, even mentioning the nightmare I had.

By the end of my explanation, I could make out the unfeigned contrite on San's face.

In the most considerate tone possible, I said, "I'm sorry I read your stuff, but I want to know why you are suddenly so interested again."

Silence fell between us as I waited for an answer. The ice shifted and crackled in my half-empty drink.

"I didn't mean for you to know about my notebook," said San. I felt guilty when I heard the remorse in his voice. Maybe I should've just pretended that I hadn't seen anything. 

"I knew you would worry, and I know how you feel about our past, which is why I didn't tell you," San continued. "But I started to see and hear things. Right here in this university. I can't shake the feeling that there's much more to this."

I frowned. "What more is there?" I could taste the bitterness in my words. There were a lot of things I wanted to say. _More people like us? But what does that matter? I met you, but nothing changed after that. So what more is there?_

Instead I just stared at San.

San twisted his body around to look at the cafe before leaning in. "I have reason to believe that there is another person with special abilities like us, in our university."

I resisted the urge to sigh. I was the one who started the conversation, so the least I could do was listen to San's answer with an open mind. "What makes you think that?"

"This guy is a prodigy. He's a genius."

"You call everyone who's smarter than you a genius, San."

San waved his hands in the air. "It's different this time. He's different."

"What's his name anyway?" I asked. If I knew this person, I would know if San is exaggerating and save us a lot of time.

"Kang Yeosang."

I've never heard of that name. I nodded at San to continue.

"My friend in his Biology lesson witnessed something amazing." I almost rolled my eyes when he made a circulating motion with his spread hands and placed excessive stress on the word _amazing_. "The professor was handing out some sort of assignment. When he got to Yeosang, he placed the test paper on Yeosang's table instead. So the professor took it back immediately, right?"

"Right," I replied, unsure where this was going.

"The professor asked Yeosang if he saw any of the questions. The paper was only on the table for two seconds, so everyone thought the answer would be no. But Yeosang said he saw everything on that page." San's eyes were widened now, as if he had lived through that event himself.

I raised my eyebrows, trying to discern the credibility of San's story.

"The professor didn't believe it, so Yeosang listed the questions, in _order_ , in front of the whole class. He got everything correct, the wording, the scientific terms, the sentence structure, _everything._ "

San looked at me expectantly with unfeigned amazement. I was starting to believe what he was saying, but I still wasn't convinced that Yeosang had special abilities like us.

As if San read my mind, he added, "That's not all."

"There's more?"

San nodded. "I heard that their parents are scientists, and his mother went missing when he was four years old."

"Missing?" I repeated absently.

That word reverberated in my head. For whatever reason, it intrigued me more than the story about Kang Yeosang's incredible photographic memory. It felt strange on my tongue, and when I took another sip of my coffee, it tasted blander than ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you read "Resolving Conflict", you'll notice something different about San 😏 (Though his power is more like a gift)
> 
> Anyway, the members will meet each other very soon by a series of coincidences...


	3. A Letter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jongho returns home from school and find something weird in his aunt's mail.

_May 28, 2018_

**Jongho**

My physics teacher was rambling on about the instructions of our paper airplane activity, but I was staring outside the window at the clouds that were drifting leisurely in the blue sky. Other students in the classroom were murmuring excitedly among themselves at the notion of a competition while I sat at the far wall, nodding ostensibly once in a while to make a show of paying attention.

Going outside the classroom was nice, but paper airplanes didn't interest me at all. In fact, nothing related to air or aviation did.

"Okay class, bring your paper airplanes, and let's go downstairs to the basketball court!"

Half of the teacher's sentence was drowned in the scratching of chair legs against the floor and the exuberant cheers of my classmates as they raced to the door.

When only a few students were left trickling out the classroom, I push myself up reluctantly, holding a sorry excuse of the most basic paper airplane between my fingers. I probably used two minutes on mine, maybe even less.

The sun's rays were extra intense today, and even though it wasn't hot like summer, the air was warm and humid, and I knew I would get sweaty soon in my restraining uniform. I followed the rest of the class onto the outdoor basketball court and we lined up on the long end, waiting for the competition to start.

"There you are, Jongho!" I turned my head when I heard my name and saw Seonghyuk, the only person who treats me like an actual friend in my class. It was easier to keep friends in other year levels because they heard less rumors about me.

I smiled at him and pointed at his fully decorated paper airplane. "That looks like a winner."

Seonghyuk was so happy he beamed at me, cradling his masterpiece with both of his hands. "I hope she is! I spent hours researching, building, and decorating!"

The sincere smile on my friend made me feel slightly bad for what I was planning to do.

"Ok everyone, we don't have a lot of class time left, so let's keep this as organized as possible!" Seonghyuk and I turned to the teacher like everyone else. No matter how excited they were, this was our last lesson and we didn't want to be let out late. "The first group can step forward now."

We were separated into four groups of five so our planes wouldn't collide into each other midair. The first group advanced to the white line on the ground, encouraged by the loud cheers from their friends. The teacher blew a whistle and all five students set off their planes at once. One unfortunate plane swirled around in the air before dropping inches away from the students' feet, but the rest of them made it past half the width of the court.

A few of classmates who wasn't in this round rushed forward with plastic plates to mark each of the planes' landing spots, while the second group of five prepared for their turn.

Seonghyuk was in this group, so I gave him a pat on the back before he stepped forward. The shrill whistle sounded again and five airplanes soared through the sky. This time, all of them flew past the halfway line, but one plane was still in the air when the other four landed. There was a burst of cheers and applause as everyone watched Seonghyuk's craft glide past all the fallen papers and land gracefully on the far edge of the court.

"Yes!" Seonghyuk cried and punched the air in triumph as more plastic discs filled the court.

Having lost confidence from Seonghyuk's success, the people who still had their planes looked sullenly at the battlefield.

The third group went shortly after, but Seonghyuk's still held the record for the longest distance covered.

"Last five students, please get ready."

At the teacher's cue, me and my group walked to the starting line. I glanced back at my best friend, who was radiating confidence with his huge grin and lifted chest. He spotted me looking and pointed at himself, saying, " _I_ will win this!"

I shrugged and turned back towards the court without giving a direct reply. My left hand was holding the paper airplane at my shoulder in the ready position, waiting for the teacher's whistle. When the signal came, I threw my airplane as hard as I could and watched it arch through the air.

It was the most simple kind of paper airplane, but I must've folded it quite well, because it went farther than I thought before starting to lose height. At the precise moment when the plane was about to fall, I tuned out any cheers or moans from my classmates and focused on the air surrounding the plane.

A tiny smile crept up my lips when a gentle breeze lifted my plane and carried it further towards the other end of the court. I relaxed my body when the plane was about to reach Seonghyuk's, and it started to fall as if an invisible string was pulling it down.

Then the plane landed, right next to Seonghyuk's. I held my breath and willed the plane to move. A short burst of wind came out of nowhere and aimed straight at the tail of the plane. It slid forward. The air became still again.

The tip of it surpassed the head of Seonghyuk's plane, just marginally.

I exhaled, and the noise flooded into my ears. The applause was thunderous. Someone hugged me. A pair of hands shoved into my arms a prize - a twenty dollar gift voucher.

I found Seonghyuk, a gray cloud hovering over his face. "Don't feel bad," I said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Here, you deserve this more than I do. Your plane looks much more impressive anyway."

When I handed him the gift voucher, I realized I meant what I said wholeheartedly.

Thankfully, Seonghyuk received the gift. "Thanks, but what does it matter when looks don't represent what the plane can actually do?"

"I probably just got lucky," I said.

"You're always lucky with these things," Seonghyuk huffed. "See you tomorrow, dude." He waved and broke off into a run, towards the stairs back to the classroom.

I watched his shrinking body and thought to myself, _I wish I was actually just lucky._

After school, when I was walking home, I received a message from my brother.

**Hyung**   
_How was school?_

I didn't stop walking and typed a quick reply:

_I won a paper airplane contest_

The phone vibrated again when I was just about to put it back in my pocket.

**Hyung**   
_You cheated, didn't you?_

Feeling a little sheepish and knowing I could never lie to Yunho, I admitted what I did.

_Just a little._

Then Yunho sent me an eye roll emoji and our conversation ended. I wanted to ask him about his day for a change, but immediately thought twice about it. His day would be mundane at the least. Both of us hid our powers from the public, but he and I were on completely different levels.

I let myself use my powers when I was alone, or when it was subtle, like just now in the basketball court. Yunho never uses his, as if he hated it, more than being scared of other people finding out his secret. A shiver ran down my body when I realized that I wasn't much different - I hated it too, thinking it was the reason why I survived the car crash when mom and dad didn't, and blaming it for making me so different than normal people.

Maybe I just got lucky, letting the past go much easier than Yunho did.

Shaking my head to get rid of that thought, I continued walking towards my foster home. My foster mom was actually a good friend of my mother, who very kindly volunteered to take care of me and my brother after our parents passed away. I suspected throughout my years living with her that she took us in because she wanted kids without getting a husband, but I wasn't bothered enough to look into that issue.

When I arrived at the front door, a new pot of plant under the door bell diverted my attention. I had no interest in gardening whatsoever, but I recognized it as the jade plant because of how common it was. The plant had to be new, but as I knelt down to take a closer look, I spotted a single yellow leaf at the back, near the wall.

All of the leaves shared the same root, yet one of them wilted while others thrived. With no particular reason, I stared at it for a while. Boredom settled in quickly and I stood up to open the door.

"Jongho-ah, is that you?"

With one foot already inside the house, I twisted my body around at the voice. My neighbor, a young doctor still in his 20s, was walking towards me with a stack of paper in his hands.

I stepped back outside and let the door close shut behind me. "What's the matter?"

He handed the stack of paper to me and said, "These are you and Ms. Cho's mail. Your mailbox was so full that some fell, so I picked them up. Wouldn't want people moping around your mail, right?"

"But..." My foster mom was very clear about not letting me touch the mailbox, but it didn't seem like I had a choice then. So I chuckled a bit awkwardly and took the mail. "...I mean, thank you."

"No problem," my neighbor said. I didn't even remember his name.

The house was empty when I finally entered it. Aunt Siyeon - it still felt wrong calling her my mom - must have went grocery shopping.

I placed down the huge stack of mail on the cabinet under the TV. I had no intention of reading the letters, but my curiosity was piqued by the sheer amount of it. Who still used this many paper, when you could send emails and texts?

All I wanted to see was who the sender was. I picked one arbitrarily and found a logo on the corner. It was the letters C and G in blue and green, and the tiny words below it said "CrossGen". I frowned when I saw that the letter below the one I was holding also had the logo, and the one after it, and the next one...

Aunt Siyeon worked a lot of odd jobs, but I've never heard her mentioning this name before. It sounded like a big company, too.

I sat on the floor, my schoolbag on my back, holding the letter and pondering about nothing in particular. It was eerily quiet when there was no one else in the house. I couldn't even hear the ticking of the clock hung on the wall right above my head.

Suddenly the click of a lock filled the room, and I spun around to see my foster mom walking through the foyer with four plastic bags.

"Jongho, can you help me-" She lifted her head up after taking off her shoes and looked straight at me. And the letters. "Jongho!" The bags of groceries sagged onto the ground as she released her grip and ran towards me.

"I'm sorry-" I said in a haste, but she cut me off when she snatched the letter from my hand and gathered the remaining mail in her arms. She stuffed them into a drawer.

"Don't do that, ever again."

I wanted to apologize again, but she scrambled onto her feet and walked back to the fallen bags, as if nothing had happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The name for Jongho's power is aerokinesis (similar to telekinesis but only with air) 🤓 He is more comfortable with his powers than Yunho is, so let's see how things will turn out when they start to find clues about their past!


	4. An ID

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hongjoong begins an investigation to get his mind off things. He can't find anything useful online, but he does find a person who might know something.

_May 27, 2018_

**Hongjoong**

The first thing I did when I returned home was turn on my laptop. My heart was still stinging from grief, but I've been through this once, with my mom, and I learnt from past experience that making myself productive was much more beneficial for me - both physically and mentally. 

I tried not to think of the emptiness of the apartment that was once a home for three people. I focused on the laptop screen instead of the things around me - a table clock, the battered rug, some photo frames - so I wouldn't remind myself of the loneliness lurking around every corner. 

I typed "Innocreation" in the search bar, but all it showed me were innovative or creative products that made lives more convenient. I cleared the search bar and tried again. This time I typed "Innocreation AND lab".

Fewer than ten results popped up, and all of them were about the explosion. 

I leaned back on my chair and sighed heavily. The sound lingered for a while in the empty room. Those ten search results on my screen felt like a brick wall that stood between me and the truth. A bitter chuckle escaped my lips. What could a flimsy newspaper cutout do to a sturdy wall?

A cup of coffee sounded very tempting right then, so I went to the kitchen to make myself one. When I returned to my room, a notification pinged in my phone, reminding me to start my social sciences assignment. 

My eyes shifted between my phone and my laptop a few times. School should be my priority, yet it didn't seem fair to my father if I gave up on my investigation when I've barely tried. My heart began to clench the moment I thought of him. It felt like just seconds ago when I saw him on the hospital bed, smiling at me.

I tightened my fingers around the ear of my coffee mug and shook my head before I could fall into the deep downward spiral of sorrow.

I ended up working on my homework just so I could cram my mind with more dull but less saddening thoughts. Surely reading the news would do the job.

Or so I thought. I was only fifteen minutes into my research when I found something strange. 

The news article I was on was about an animal abuse case in my province, one week ago. A suspect was arrested and was under investigation. I was about to open another tab in my window when I saw a comment, the top one for this article.

**Toothless**   
_They got the wrong person. The real culprit is much taller than the suspect and has a tattoo on his neck._

A few other readers left comments responding to that, most of which were questioning his groundless conjecture. _Toothless_ replied to those readers with a supercilious statement:

**Toothless**   
_It's up to you to believe it or not, but I can see the future and I know who the real criminal is._

There were even more comments under that, claiming that it was impossible to see the future and that _Toothless_ is a troll who should be banned from leaving comments. But I was different than others, so as crazy I might sound, I believed that clairvoyance existed.

My nerves tingled with apprehension as I searched for recent news to see if the suspect was indeed the animal abuser. 

It didn't take me long to find what I was looking for. The news made it to the headlines. I clicked on the first one that showed up and scanned the article at lightning speed. Keywords popped out to me like a beam of a flashlight would during a power outage.

_Prosecution...criticized...previous suspect released...real culprit found..._

Then my eyes landed on the picture of the newly arrested suspect, and a chill made its way down my spine.

The suspect's face was concealed by a cap, but there was a line of black words along his clavicle that extended up to his neck.

I scrolled down the page furiously and looked for the ID name again. _Toothless_ didn't leave any comments on this one, but there were many readers who mentioned him.

**000459**   
_What the hell? That prophet guy was actually right?_

**xXlinXx**   
_No way! Was he a detective?_

**iluvu3000**   
_Maybe he knew the real culprit! That's why he's not commenting anymore!_

I went back to the article from one week ago and stared at the ID name. The more I stared at it and the more I said it out loud inside my head, the more familiar the name became. I recognized that ID before, but where?

Knowing it had to be somewhere on my laptop or my phone, I opened all the forums, social media, and streaming platforms I could think of. When none of those yielded results, I launched the video conferencing app I used to call my friends when we played computer games. 

One glance at my exhaustible friend list confirmed that _Toothless_ wasn't someone I knew, so I went into my best friend's profile and checked the users he was following.

I let out a quiet cheer when I saw _Toothless_ on the list. My friend must've invited him to one of our gaming sessions, which was why I've seen the name before. Without thinking twice, I sent a friend invite to _Toothless,_ and it was only when I got accepted seconds later that I realized I had no idea what to do.

I drank the rest of my coffee, the now lukewarm beverage making me cringe as it slid down my throat. I placed my hands on the edge of my desk and pushed, sending me and my office chair sliding backward. Then I swiveled in the chair for a bit, looking around in my room until I started to get dizzy. Still, nothing came to my mind, so I stood up and paced.

I was staring blankly at my wardrobe door when my phone dinged, notifying me of a message from a friend.

**Jeonjun**   
_Hey Hongjoong, I'm still stuck on that math challenge question you helped me with last time. Can I get more tips?_

Smiling at the pleasant distraction, I tapped on the keyboard.

**Me**   
_Sure. Do you want to meet up somewhere? I can explain it to you more easily._

A moment of revelation coursed through me as I pressed the _send_ button. Without waiting for a reply, I turned off my phone and sat down on my chair again, propelling myself towards my desk with my feet. I opened a new private message with _Toothless_ and my fingers danced across the keyboard.

I was overthinking, just like I always did. It was time to just go for it. After all, I had to do _something_ to kick off the investigation. There was no time for me to hesitate.

I attached the link to the news article a week about the animal abuse and typed:

**Me**   
_You're Jeonjun's friend, right? I saw your comments in this article. Can we meet up? I have something to tell you, and it's difficult to explain it here._

The status underneath _Toothless's_ profile picture and ID indicated that he was online. He took two minutes to see my message, but he didn't seem to be on his keyboard. 

The more I stared at the tiny words, _read 15:46,_ the more jittery I became. I didn't even know what I was feeling. Nervous because I might've taken one step ahead of myself? Or annoyed that he wasn't answering?

My phone was buzzing like crazy, urging me to reply my friend's texts, but my eyes never left my laptop screen. 

I prepared a second message, hoping that would shine some light on my intentions.

**Me**   
_I didn't want to say this here, but I believe what you said in the comments. Because I'm the same as you. I have certain...abilities too._

My index finger was hovering over the enter button when the three dots popped up underneath my first message, which meant _Toothless_ was typing. I retracted my finger just as I received his reply.

**Toothless**   
_I don't want anything to do with you. It's too dangerous. Forget about our conversation. Do this for both of our sake._

My heart leaped in alarm at the cryptic reply. I hastily deleted my unsent message and changed it into a series of questions:

**Me**   
_What do you mean dangerous?_

_Do you know something?_

_I know we're the same! Can't we meet up? I will explain!_

The three messages were read one after the other, simultaneous with the instant I sent them. He was still online, his screen on this message board. I waited hopefully for the three dots to appear, glancing back and forth between my messages and the status bar on the top to make sure I still had a chance.

A gust of hot air entered through a slit in the window on the left wall. My ringtone blasted through my phone speakers. I ignored Jeonjun's call and began to sweat despite the electric fan placed at the corner.

Then the reply came, so abruptly I jumped in my seat.

**Toothless**   
_Sorry, I'm afraid I can't help you._

I placed my hands on the keyboard again and began pressing the keys desperately, but I stopped in the middle of typing "wait", fingers grazing the keyboard but frozen in place.

At the top of the screen, the status changed from _online_ to _last seen 15:50._

I slumped in my chair and closed my eyes. I opened them when I heard my ringtone again. This time, I picked the phone up.

An annoyed Jeonjun shouted at me the moment I received the call, but I interrupted him.

"Sorry, I'll have to help you next time."

_What? What do you mean?_

"Something came up. Can-" I ran a hand through my hair and took a few deep breaths to slow myself. "Can you tell me who Toothless is? I really need to meet him."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ATINYs will know immediately who Toothless is 😂 The important thing is Hongjoong doesn't know yet. He'll find out soon and move on in his little investigation, but is that really what he wants?
> 
> Btw, as I'm proofreading this I realize I have quite a few random characters that will pop in here and there, so I might make a character list in the future when things get a bit hectic (I don't want to spoil all the relationships yet) ;)


	5. A Run

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mingi returns home, preparing himself for another typical night. However, it turns out to be far from typical. He overhears his dad on the phone, and learns a secret he wish he didn't have to know about.

_May 28, 2018_

**Mingi**

"I'm home, dad," I called as I kicked my shoes off. Two full bags of groceries dangled on my arms, so I had to use my feet to line up my shoes neatly by the front door. 

As I carried the bags to the dining table, I heard soft padding of socked feet on the wooden floor, growing louder with each step. My dad appeared the moment I set the bags down on the table. Unlike me, he was small for his age, but we both had healthy bodies, so I got at least some genes from him. The few lines of wrinkles on his face were deep; I always thought he aged a few years immediately after my mother left for another man. Despite the painful memory, however, my dad's eyes remained round and bright no matter what. 

"You're back?" 

I could hear the smile in his voice, the same one I heard everyday. He was my only family, and I was his. Even though we were poor and we lived in a decrepit house and I had to work all day almost every day to earn our living expenses, my dad never failed to sound happy whenever I returned home at night. 

"I got my paycheck today, so I stocked up." Inside the bags were fresh meat, vegetables, canned food, and water. The plastic rustled noisily as my dad and I unpacked them. 

"I guess we'll have a full pantry again." 

We laughed at the joke. There was no pantry in our kitchen. The place was too small for that. The only cupboards we had were storage for cleaning supplies, so we stacked the cans on the counter, and stored the meat inside our fridge. 

"Go wash up, and I'll make dinner," said my dad.

Our bathroom was only one right turn away from the dining table. The toilet and the shower area were merged into one, so there was only just enough space for me to turn on the spot. I turned the knob under the showerhead and braced for the splash of cold water on my skin. 

It was warm water that came out of the shower. Instead of shuddering, my body melted into the warmth. The sensation was so unfamiliar that I stood under the shower for a moment, doing nothing but feeling. 

Then I snapped out of it and began to actually clean myself, starting with my hair. I scrubbed extra hard and extra fast because hot water meant the boiler was on, which meant the electricity bills were piling up every extra minute I was in the shower.

I wondered why my dad turned on the boiler as I squeezed some body soap into my palm. The weather wasn't even cold anymore, and he rarely did this even during winter. Still, this pleasant surprise put a smile on my lips and washed away the exhaustion from a full day of work.

Happiness was easy to come by when you had so little to start with. 

After putting on some airy and comfortable indoor clothes, I stepped out of the bathroom, half expecting to smell dinner. But there was no appetizing aroma in the air. Strange, that I couldn't hear the sizzling of oil or the hum of stove fire either. 

I turned the corner and saw my dad by the counter. He was holding a phone against his ear, listening. He was leaning slightly to one side, his other hand on the counter supporting his body weight. The grim aura surrounding him made me step back behind the wall. 

"Mingi has nothing to do with you anymore." My name appearing in this conversation wasn't what surprised me most. It was the sternness in my dad's voice that stunned me, that pressed me further up against the yellowing wall.

I held my breath through the long silence as I waited for my dad to say something else. 

"Why would I let you see him? After what you did to his mother?"

A certain type of fear seized me, the type where you knew something bad was happening despite not knowing what. The type that anchored you right in the middle of wanting to know and wanting to run away.

My dad's breath hitched like you would if you were interrupted right before you wanted to say something. I could feel the tension through the wall and from around the corner. 

Then the tension snapped and my dad's burst of anger startled me so hard I jumped. 

"Don't you dare say that! You're the farthest thing away from a father a person could be." Then his voice grew quiet, "I'm Mingi's only father, and that's that." 

Growing up in a poor family exposed me to all types of painful and challenging things, but nothing was as overwhelming as realizing my life was just an illusion. The truth was clear now, there was no denying it.

"Mingi's mother wouldn't have handed Mingi over to me if she trusted you to take care of him. All you cared about were your crazy experiments that yielded no results. You want him now for the same reason."

The person standing in the kitchen counter a few steps away was not my birth father. Numbness took over my body in an instant. It was my body's way of telling me that laying dormant was the best way to get through this. There were times where I needed adrenaline and anger, but right now, all I needed was a way to shut down my environment and pretend it was okay.

Otherwise, my body would crack under the pressure. 

"Mingi-!"

I pushed myself off the wall, giving my dad a blank stare. 

His eyes weren't bright anymore. "You heard." His voice was trembling. "Didn't you?"

The wordless apology was written all over his face. The sorrowful eyes, the drooping eyelids, the lifted eyebrows. Somehow that was the spark that burned the numbness away. Why was he apologizing for something he didn't do? Why did he have to feel sorry when it was someone else who did wrong?

Most importantly, why didn't he tell me earlier?

In one impulsive moment, I strode past my dad, bumping into his shoulder in the narrow corridor as I walked away, through the kitchen, and out the door.

The night was cool without the heat of the sun, even cooler than inside our house where there was no air conditioner. Still, I was heated. From disbelief. Soon, it would die down, only to let distress take its place. I knew how emotions worked, and I knew I couldn't stay with my dad -- my stepdad? -- as I dealt with them. 

So I walked down the narrow stone stairs down to the street and past the clutter of dilapidated houses that blended into each other into a depressing heap of ash gray and rusty brown. I trod through stacks of broken appliances and abandoned clothes to a squeaky, neglected iron gate. I kicked it open, knowing its sole purpose was to separate the poor neighborhood from the prosperity of the city.

The sky was clear tonight but I didn't bother to look up at the stars. I stared at the road stretched in front of me. Occasional cars parked along the sides, guarding the bigger and fancier houses. 

The truth I learnt minutes ago slowly crept up from the back of my mind. Before I could pay attention to it, before I let it spread misery through my body, I took a deep breath and broke off into a run.

I ran faster than anyone else in the world. So fast, I thought there was something wrong with my body. And I was starting to think that that wasn't too far from the truth. If my birth father really did some crazy experiments...

I shook it off and let my limbs take over so I could focus on the wind against my face. It was my dream to become an athlete when I was still in school, but I never let myself dream hard because of our financial situation. Still, I never stopped running, because it was the only time I felt free from other people's control. 

When I ran like this, I didn't have to listen to my bosses from my ten different jobs. 

I reached the end of the road in no time. My breaths were deep and frequent, but I wasn't even a tiny bit tired. The heaving of my chest distracted me from everything else.

I turned around when my breathing slowed down. Then I ran again, back towards the rusty gate where I started. 

When I ran like this, I didn't have to listen to my overwhelming thoughts either. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Mingi's birth father did some weird experiments. Did you make the connection? Don't worry if you didn't; the answer will eventually reveal itself! xp For now let's just sympathize with Mingi, who just found out that he has been living with a foster dad his whole life 🥺


	6. An Alley

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yunho pays Jongho a surprise visit at his highschool afterschool. They return home together for a short family dinner but see something much more interesting as they walk into an alley.

_May 29, 2018_

**Jongho**

"Hyung! What are you doing here?" 

I almost crashed right into Yunho outside the school gates. It was already dinner time, but many students piled out next to me as if the school day had just ended. We were all preparing for the exams that were only a few weeks away. 

Yunho reached out a hand to ruffle my hair. I squirm to break the contact. "Stop doing that!" My brother kept smiling at me as I fixed the damage he had done. "I'm not a kid."

"Let's go," said Yunho, turning towards the street.

"Wa-where?" I scrambled to catch up with his long strides. 

There was a playful smile on Yunho's lips. "Home."

"You mean aunt Siyeon's place?" I asked the question cautiously, unsure whether I wanted the answer to be yes or no. Neither of the outcomes sounded ideal.

"Yea, I'm eating dinner with you tonight." Now that I paid more attention, I noticed a little skip in Yunho's gait. "It's been a while since I came home, and I miss home-cooked meals _so_ much."

The sky was smokey gray, and it would slowly deepen as the Earth spun away from the sun. I wondered why Yunho chose a Thursday to come over, but when my stomach grumbled I realized I couldn't bother. After a long afternoon with no food, I felt like my body were in pieces. Like my arms weren't really connected to my torso, and my legs not to my hips.

We walked silently for a few minutes before I talked myself into making conversation. Instead of giving a cold shoulder, I should at least show some kind of gratitude that Yunho came to visit me.

Yunho was explaining what classes he had today when the wind picked up. I took a look at his thin white t-shirt that flapped loudly whenever a breeze passed through and subtly slowed down the air molecules around us.

Yunho stopped talking mid-sentence and in my peripheral vision I could see him looking at me, but I stared straight forward. He breathed out a quiet laugh but pretended that nothing happened. 

The busy streets were behind us now as we turned into the quieter neighborhoods. There were many alleyways here that only a few people knew about, and those were usually even more deserted than the neighborhood itself. 

Sometimes I would cut into different streets using the alleys so I could take a long relaxing walk, but the low grumbles from my stomach were growing more desperate, so I chose the shortest way this time. 

We were five blocks away from the house when we heard the noise. With the drone of city traffic far away, it filled the night air easily. We froze at the same time.

"Do you hear it too?" Yunho asked me. 

I nodded. It was still going. I heard thumping and scuffling, but most chilling of all was the deep groans. 

A few steps away was another split from the main street. I pointed towards it and took a tiny step forward. Yunho widened his eyes at me but followed when I started moving. 

The top of our heads peeked around the corner from the main street into the narrow passage. It was near dark, but anyone could tell what was going on inside. Three teenagers were in the alley. One of them was on the ground, curled up against the wall. The other two were shouting crude insults, taking turns kicking. 

It took me another moment to realize what the teenagers were wearing. The dark blue jacket, the blue and gold tie, the white shirt, the plain dark pants, the emblazoned logo, and finally, the name tags. 

I touched my clothes absently. We were wearing the same uniform.

Yunho grabbed my shoulder and pulled me away from the scene. He shook his head at me. I flung my arm away from the painful grip and glared back into my brother's warning gaze.

"We're going home," he whispered harshly. 

I recoiled before he could grab me again. His cold eyes disappointed me. 

"What if he's someone I know?" I hissed. "Do you want me to just leave him behind?" 

A loud scream shook me. It startled both of us, but I felt pained too, as if I was the victim.

"We're not going to leave him behind." Yunho's voice was strained, the words shaking as he controlled his volume and emotions. "We'll call the police. Or any adults around here. I can film a video if you want."

Something snapped inside me. I hated the face that was right in front of me. The face that looked so grown-up and matured, but also the face that concealed cowardice and lacked dignity. 

"Forget it, I'm doing this myself." I turned around just before I could think twice.

"Jongho, no-" Yunho's voice was loud and clear, his urgency no longer contained. He reached out to me but stumbled when he grabbed air.

It was too late to stop me. I had made myself visible.

The two bullies - one with tousled hair, the other's ridiculously overgrown - diverted their attention from the victim to me. 

"Hey, what do you want?" Tousled Hair shouted. He started walking towards me. His friend tsked and gave one hard kick to the student on the floor before following. 

I tried not to wince at the loud moan elicited from the assault and focused on making myself look intimidating. Yunho was still hiding, which would give us a surprise advantage _if_ he decided to help later.

The two unruly boys continued to advance, kicking small pebbles on the ground as they scrutinized me with contemptuous eyes. I could tell by their elevated chests that they thought they had already won this match. 

"Are you deaf or dumb?" Overgrown Hair asked, to which Tousled Hair added, "or both?"

That gave them something to laugh at. The screeching noise reminded me of fingernails on a chalkboard or an old train braking on rusty tracks.

As they were having the time of their lives, I smirked and raised up an outstretched palm.

The air behind me began swirling and gaining speed, before shooting past me and straight to the bullies. My heart pounded with a burst of exhilaration as the gust of wind with the strength of a typhoon shoved the teenage boys backward until their long legs couldn't keep up and they hit the ground bottom first.

A smirk played on my lips. I was still surrounded by a tempest while the rest of the alley had returned to its undisturbed state.

The bullies stood up, flustered but angry. A signal was sent through with one head nod. They came at me together, charging with arms in front of them. 

My reflexes kicked in and I dodged to the side just as a fist soared through the air, where my head just was. Sweat trickled down my neck as I tried to jump around in my heavy leather shoes. My shirt was sticking to my skin and the fancy jacket only trapped more heat.

I summoned more gusts of wind subconsciously thanks to my defense mechanism, but all that did was topple my opponents, which didn't do much because they stood up undefeated every time, like those stubborn roly-poly toys. 

My powers never lasted long either, because they drained my energy and gave me a headache, and if I didn't stop I would probably pass out. So when the two boys pushed themselves up the third time, I knew I needed to do something else. Scaring them away didn't work. 

Unfortunately, the victim was too injured to run away, so I couldn't just run away. Fighting wasn't an option too, because I didn't know how to, and these bullies were probably experienced. I could feel my heartbeat speeding up, now with less of the thrilling sensation and more of the the anxious kind.

"It's your fault for not running away, kid," one of them said; I wasn't paying enough attention to know who. 

I heard knuckles cracking. They were so close to me now. They were trying to scare me, and it worked. It wasn't their looming figures, nor their intimidating eyes, but the fact that _I_ messed this up real bad.

Then I felt a harsh tug around my neck. He got my collar. I was losing, but my body wasn't doing anything. My breath was leaving my lungs. I thought I was having a panic attack but that didn't make sense because I wasn't moving at all.

It was a fight or flight situation, but my body did neither. As if it shut down. Was it because of my superpowers? Did it override my system somehow? 

I saw a fist coming straight for my face. I waited for the impact, for the pain. Instead, I was released. I stumbled a bit to regain balance and bumped into someone else behind me. Yunho. 

The bullies were on the ground once again. They were grunting with their hands on their heads. My attention landed on the two schoolbags lying next to them. Those weren't there before. They were sitting next to the wall when everything started. 

It felt like I was waking from a dream. 

The boys struggled to stand up, muttering under their breaths. "What the hell...?" They looked behind them, and then their bags on the ground. When they turned back towards us with burning malice in their eyes, Yunho picked up the two bags again.

Of course, he wasn't really touching them. He was using telekinesis, something I haven't seen in a long time.

The shock on the boys' faces was almost comical. They stuttered, but only spit came out. The bags floated towards them slowly, but even then they were too frightened to run away. When the bags hit their chests I watched Yunho make a pushing motion with his hands, which pressed the bags against them and forced the two bullies to retreat. 

Yunho stopped only when they were out of sight. Peace filled the night again as the quiet drone of city traffic returned.

I finally took a good look at the student on the floor. He was a small boy, probably from lower year levels. He protected his head well, but his uniform was tattered and covered with dirt and grime from the bullies' shoes. 

The quiet whimpers and sobs begged for compassion. I took a furtive step forward, and was surprised when Yunho walked past me and towards the boy with no hesitation. 

I could hear my brother's hushed voice, the same voice he used with me when I struggled to accept the thing I could do with air that no one else could. 

A sudden clump of footsteps put me on full alert again. I squinted my eyes towards the end of the alley, but all I saw were murky shadows layered on top of a cluster of houses. I must've heard wrong since the sound was so distant and abrupt.

The last of my adrenaline wore off and exhaustion, along with hunger, turned my body into jelly. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Most of the action will be at the end of the story, but I added this one here to make the story more exciting...and also for some 2ho brotherhood moments XD. School has been hectic so thank you for reading - it cheers me up :)


	7. A Phone Call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seonghwa is enjoying his weekend when he receives a call from the same person who has been bothering him for the past week. He picks up the call and senses that something is not right when his dad calls him too, to deliver some unfortunate news...

_June 2, 2018_

**Seonghwa**

My weekend started off well. I slept for as long as I needed to but woke up early enough to still have a lot of the day to spare. In the morning I started to work on a paper for university, and in the afternoon I went out to eat lunch with my friends.

I was walking back home when my day started to go downhill, just like the sun that was slowing descending towards the mountain tops. My phone began vibrating, the long and persistent type. So I took it out from my pocket and glanced at the caller ID. 

As I debated whether to answer my legs ground to a halt.

 _B_ was calling me again. I saved the number as _B_ for brat, because that was the one word I could use to describe a person I have never seen and didn't know the name of. 

People continued walking around me like a stream flowing around a stone. I stayed dumbfounded until the vibration stopped and my screen went black. Not for long, though. My screen lit up almost instantaneously and showed me the same darn caller ID.

 _B_ had been trying to reach me since a week ago. It started last Sunday, when someone claiming to be Jeonjun's friend messaged me. I didn't make the connection right then, but it had to be the same guy who was calling me nonstop.

Someone's shoulder clipped me hard. Above me the sky turned orange. The phone in my hand continued to vibrate.

I didn't even ask for his name, but he wanted to know things. I answered his first call unknowingly and he asked to meet up. He said something about our special powers and then a few other details about his mother, but I pretended not to understand a thing and hung up.

After the first time, I avoided his ten other calls and thirty messages. When it stopped midweek, I thought he had finally given up.

Apparently not. 

A tiny drop of water landed on my wrist. Then another on my phone. The few drops turned into a full on downpour in a matter of eye blinks. Umbrellas were whooshed open and feet scurried on the pavement to find shelter. 

I sighed, backed up to a storefront with an awning on top, and pressed the call button.

 _This time, I will make him give up,_ I told myself.

The phone connected after the first ring. 

_Hello?_

It had been almost a week, but I remembered his voice perfectly. The voice that made my ears itch. It was him alright.

"Look, I don't know who you are and I want nothing to do with you. Jeonjun shouldn't have given you my number, but this is our business now and I picked up the phone this time to make myself clear. Stop bothering me before I call the police."

I thought about hanging up right then and there, but I had to make sure I got the message through. 

Someone exited the store behind me and walked out to the street with a transparent umbrella. I stared at the wall of rain that stood in the middle of my perfect evening, still waiting for a reply that would probably, if not definitely, thicken that wall.

_You would've blocked me ages ago if I was bothering you._

Confounded, I couldn't construct a coherent reply. The clash between anger and confusion rendered me speechless for a few seconds. A few seconds too much.

_Please give me a chance to talk to you. We can share what we know and go our separate ways after that. Don't you want to find out why we have those po-_

"I don't want to know," I said, my voice a bit too loud. I looked around instinctively, but everyone was minding their own business. The beating sound of rain striking the ground was getting onto my nerves. "I told you, it's dangerous."

_That's why I want to meet up. So you can tell me why it's dangerous. I don't know anything._

I sighed and switched my phone to the other hand. Not knowing whether to laugh or cry, the corner of my lip twitched. "You're indefatigable, you know that? But trust me when I say, it's better if you don't know anything at all."

There was a slight pause, then: _What if I told you I do have something?_

It was all I could do not to hang up. Getting involved was the last thing I wanted to do, but I could only deceive myself for so long. My mother was the reason I was so paranoid about my ability to look into the future. In particular, the future regarding any crimes. 

I had almost no control over it, and I made comments about these "prophecies" online to find reprieve from stress when my visions gave me nightmares, and when those nightmares began to blur into my visions. Sometimes it took me hours of research to find out which part of the nightmare/vision was true.

I asked my mom a lot of times over my teenage-hood about her irrational fear of someone discovering my existence, but I never got an answer I was satisfied with. So now my family lived like street rats constantly scurrying away from the wrath of people's feet. 

No one liked living like that, and I was no different. 

Still, living like that for more than ten years made it hard to trust people.

"I prefer working alone."

I just finished that sentence when my phone started vibrating. I looked at the screen. My dad was calling me. Without hesitation, I hung up my call with _B_ and received my dad's call.

"Da-"

_Seonghwa, is that you?_

I frowned at the urgent tone. My nerves tingled like it did whenever I had a bad feeling.

"Yes, it's me, dad. Is something wrong?"

_Come...come home. Your mother's missing._

"What?" I said, but I choked on my words and it came off like a weak croak. My legs were already moving, the onslaught of rain soaking my clothes and hair as soon as I walked past the awning. "Didn't she say she was going to the grocery store?"

_Yes, yes, but she should've been back by now. It's almost dinner time. I tried calling her and no one picked up. I even went to the grocery store to check and ask around, and the cashier said she already left an hour ago._

My heart was pounding and my head was spinning as I tried to catch all the words in my dad's slurred speech. 

"Maybe she had something urgent to do, or maybe she met a friend and got carried away. You know her, dad. She always forgets to charge her phone." Not even the patter of rain could cover my trembling voice. I picked up the pace because I knew I didn't believe a thing I said.

_But..._

"Just stay put, dad. Don't call the police yet because they won't help until after 48 hours. Call my mom's friends and ask them if they've seen her. I'm coming, okay? I'm coming. We'll continue looking for her when I'm ba-"

Someone without an umbrella ran straight into me, knocking the phone out of my hand as I regained my footing. 

"I'm so sorry," that person said, but I didn't have the capacity to register her presence. I picked up my phone and sighed in relief when I saw a perfectly intact screen. 

Instead of the call with my dad, I saw another incoming call. I froze when I saw who it was from. Then I gritted my teeth and pressed the green button. 

_Why did you hang up-_

"Where are you? 

_What?_

"Tell me where you are. We need to talk."

_But you said you want to-_

I didn't let him finish. "It doesn't matter what I said! It's too late to work alone." The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. "My mother is missing and it's all because you wanted to talk to me!"

The phone went quiet. My upper body was moving up and down along to my heaving breathing. Rain entered my mouth as I was talking. My eyes kept blinking away the water. I thought I tasted something salty.

_I'll send you an address.  
_

The call ended abruptly and I received a text message almost immediately afterward. I opened the message with a trembling finger. Then I hailed the first taxi I could find and sped off.

The sun had long disappeared behind the mountains.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seonghwa's mother goes missing right after Hongjoong contacts him. There's no denying that those two things are somehow connected...


	8. A New Name

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seonghwa decides to meet up with Hongjoong. They have a discussion about what they know.

_June 2, 2018_

**Hongjoong**

_My mother is missing and it's all because you wanted to talk to me!_

Seonghwa - Jeonjun told me his name when I asked about _Toothless_ \- sounded very desperate. He was definitely telling me the truth, and despite feeling slightly bad about using his difficult situation to my advantage, I seized the opportunity to meet him. 

I told him where and when to meet: a cafe near my home, as soon as he could get there. 

Without waiting for a reply, I grabbed my wallet, keys, and the newspaper article my father gave me, stuffed it into my pockets, and went out the door. As I was stuffing my feet into the first pair of shoes I saw at the entrance-way, I heard the shower of heavy rain, sounding like a thousand tiny marbles hitting a hard surface. 

My mind wandered as I looked for my coat hanging on the wall, which inevitably brought me back to that day. The day my mother died. Hearing about the news was like taking a heavy punch straight to your gut - the kind that knocked the air out of you. Your eyes teared up, everything became blurry, and suddenly nothing made sense other than the pain.

I did remember that it was a rainy day like this one, so it must've been the monsoon season as well. 

At some point, I put on my coat, took an umbrella and stepped out the front door. 

The cafe wasn't far, but the rain was so violent that most of my clothes got wet. I entered the cafe, now packed with patrons eager to escape from the weather. A waft of freshly grounded coffee beans hit me as I approached the counter and ordered a cup of hot coffee.

I brought my beverage to an empty seat in the corner and waited. In the beginning, I was able to sit patiently like a normal customer while I read the article for the thirty sixth time, trying in vain to glean new information. When my eyes stung from staring at ink I looked out the window wall next to me, but I stopped doing that as well when painful memories started to resurface.

It was the moment I emptied the coffee cup when anxiety became a problem. I checked my phone every thirty seconds to see if Seonghwa left a message, but ended up getting even more nervous when I saw how much time had passed. 

Ordering another cup of coffee was the least stressful thing I could do, and as I was about to do it, someone walked up to my table and sat on the seat opposite of me. 

He came. I could either gain a lot of important information, or leave with even more questions. The uncertainty made my heart pound.

I stared at the man in front of me. He was tall, even when seated. His black hair was glimmering from the rain and was sitting flat on his head. In fact, his whole body was soaked, and his chest was moving from his deep breaths. The color of his iris matched the color of his hair, so dark I could barely see his pupils.

After he caught his breath, he nodded towards the article I laid on the table. "What's that?"

Straight to the point. He didn't even know my name yet. Slightly caught off guard, I turned the paper around and pushed it towards Seonghwa. "It's the only thing my mom left behind that might help us understand what's going on." I left out the details about my father. You could never be too safe. 

The man frowned as he scanned the page. "I don't think a building that exploded fifteen years ago has anything to do with my mom who went missing today."

I watched Seonghwa put the paper down and tried to contain my emotions. My mother, too, went missing once.

"That's what I thought too, but look here." I pointed to the bottom of the article, where I underlined a few words.

_...controlled destruction...controversial experiments...classified..._

"What if they blew the lab up because they were trying to cover something up?"

Seonghwa didn't even look down to read where I was pointing. He stared at me with those black eyes that looked just like two jet stones. Stones that couldn't be damaged with water. No wonder he wasn't fazed by the heavy rain. He ran all the way here, through the storm. 

"You can look into this as much as you want," he said. "But it doesn't change the fact that my mom disappeared right after you started to contact me. I warned you. It's better to leave this mystery unsolved."

I clenched my fist under the table. "I thought you came here so you could find out what happened to your mother."

I could barely finish my sentence. 

"No, I came here to make you understand that I wasn't kidding. I'm leaving my problems to the police, like normal people do."

He stood up, making the paper on the table flutter. He looked at me, as if expecting me to say something. "Stop this before something else happens to either of us."

I knew that tone, the tone that people used when they thought they knew everything. But Seonghwa didn't know a lot of things about me. Like the fact that I could read minds. 

"Your mother told you to hide your powers, because people would hurt you if they found out you existed. It's something along those lines, am I right?"

Seonghwa was turning away, but he froze when he heard me. I waited for the moment of realization to pass. 

He looked back at me, his eyes wavering with confusion and indignation. "You-you can read minds?"

I didn't smile, but I was sure that my triumph was evident in my voice. He was reticent about what he knew all this time, but now that I knew what he was afraid about, the puzzle started to make more sense. "Which is why I'm saying this article is important."

"What are you thinking?" Those eyes hardened again into a serious gaze. He didn't sit. 

I tapped my finger onto the headline. "If the lab was destroyed intentionally to hide something, and if your mom is telling you to keep your powers a secret, then...the people from the lab are probably trying to hide the fact that there are superpowers."

"You don't think..." He sat down now, as if the revelation was a new burden that was weighing him down. "Are you saying superpowers were made? By humans?"

"There's a possibility." Those words came out without much thought, but then they really sank in and I realized how unsettling it is. 

Seonghwa put the heavy implications into words. His voice was quiet and distant as he said it. "We are products of an experiment done by other humans."

" _Might_ be," I clarified, but I suspected that there weren't much clarity in my words at all. 

"May I?" A new voice asked. I saw a hand reaching for my empty coffee cup, so I looked up to the waitress and nodded a thanks.

The coffee and the saucer clinked as the waitress lifted it and placed it on her tray. Seonghwa was looking out the window, feeling uncomfortable to continue talking with a third pair of ears.

"That's an old newspaper you got there," the waitress commented. 

I wasn't expecting any conversation, so it took me a while to respond. "Oh, yeah." Feeling defensive all of a sudden, I took the article and held it close to myself. Asking the waitress to leave wasn't polite at all, so I kept quiet. 

And I was glad I didn't say anything, because then she said, "It's a shame, but at least the Yun heritage was passed on."

Seonghwa and I snapped our heads towards her at the same time. "Who?" I asked.

The waitress wasn't flustered at all. "The Yun family. Yun Yeongcheol was the head scientist of _Innocreation_. It should say in that article." I checked. The same name was under the picture in the caption. "His son took after him and found another lab. It's not as famous as _Innocreation_ , but I guess that's because his son isn't as crazy as his father."

There were many questions I wanted to ask, but Seonghwa beat me to it. "Crazy?"

"Mhm." The waitress nodded, as if she was a girl with exciting gossip. "There were rumors that he used humans in his experiments, but no evidence was found even when an investigation was made."

I could feel that there was more information coming, but we didn't have time to listen to rumors of the past. We had to start from the present. "What's the name of the lab? The son's one?"

Taken aback from being interrupted, she blinked. "Huh? Oh, I think it's called CrossGen."

"Thank you." From my wallet I got the smallest bill I had and placed it on the tray as a tip. 

Then I walked to the entrance, searching up _CrossGen_ on my phone. Seonghwa was behind me, a bit dazed by the influx of discoveries. The rain had not stopped yet, but it was only a calm trickle now. 

"Are we going there now?" He was looking over my shoulder. 

I nodded absently. With the bad signal, the results were taking forever to load. I hit the side of my phone with my palm. A phone call came in before it finished loading.

It was a phone number I have never seen before. Seonghwa snatched my phone away before I could decide what to do with the call. 

Dumbfounded, I spun around and saw Seonghwa turning off my phone. He did the same with his before explaining his actions. "We don't know who's coming after us. If they already found out about us, they can track our location with our phones. We can't let them get to us before we get to them. We have to be very careful from now on if we want to continue investigating."

"But we still don't know where the lab is." I blinked away the rain that fell onto my eyes as I lifted my head to look at Seonghwa. It was dark, and the light from the cafe created a backlight that accentuated the shadows on his face. 

"We'll borrow a phone somewhere, but we have to move now." He started moving without warning, in what I assumed was an arbitrary direction. I hurried to catch up. "In case someone has already tracked our location," he added.

"You're..." _too paranoid,_ I wanted to say. I swallowed those words when dread began to build up slowly but steadily inside me, like the small raindrops landing on my body once in a while that gradually soaked my shirt. 

"You're right," I said finally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hongjoong and Seonghwa finally meet! They seem to be the first group of people to find something useful...
> 
> I didn't plan to add any ships in this fanfic but sometimes I just can't help it :').


	9. A Journalist

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wooyoung visits his dead uncle, but things took an unexpected turn when Wooyoung receives a small notebook from his father.

_June 3, 2018_

**Wooyoung**

The air was tight with tension. Under the heavy atmosphere, I shifted uncomfortably in my restrictive suit.

The columbarium was empty. Me and my father were the only visitors this afternoon. It was my uncle's Memorial Day. He died almost two decades ago - when I was barely one year old - so I had zero memories of him. But I still came every year with my dad, because he loved his brother a lot.

That wasn't the only reason, though. Why would I come here for a stranger? Why would anyone, unless that stranger did something significant enough to become a part of your life?

My father finished his yearly speech like he always did, with a simple: "I will come again next year, hyung."

When he turned around I did too, because I knew we were about to leave. It was routine that I was to stand behind my dad, that I would listen to him talk, that I would bow my head in silence to show respect, and that we would return home once my dad's speech was complete. 

That routine, perfectly ran for years of my life since I first came here when I was ten, was broken when my dad spoke. 

"Wooyoung-ah, say something." 

I stopped in the middle of turning around and waited for him to say something else. To maybe explain why. Or even better, to tell me what I should say. This came unexpected, _too_ unexpected. It wasn't only that I didn't know how to react. It was also that I didn't know how to interpret this. 

Was it a chance to finally say what I truly felt? That was too hard to believe. 

"What do you want me to say?" I put my hands in my pockets and angled my body so it was mostly, but not fully, facing my dad and my uncle's ashes. "That I miss him?"

My dad sidestepped so I was forced to look at him. I knew how to look through people, though, so that was what I did. "Don't talk to me like that."

"Like how?" My tone didn't change one bit. It was still bitter and snappy and it infuriated my dad. I knew because he inhaled sharply.

So I let my anger out before he could. 

"Why do I have to say anything to him? Isn't it good enough that I'm even here? Look around, dad. We have a big family, but we're the only ones left who are willing to come every year." 

The more I spoke the angrier I felt, and without a second thought I finally said how I truly thought on this day every year. "I follow you here every year only because I felt bad for you. So that you wouldn't have to be alone."

I let out one final, heavy exhale and we launched into a staring contest. Afraid that the frigid air would snap like a stretched rubber band, I stayed still and put as much rage as I could into my taut face, even though I was cowering inside, bracing for an earful of scolding. 

A long minute passed before my dad finally said something. To my surprise, he didn't sound insulted, as I was expecting. 

"You don't have to take this out on me. I know you're not really angry at me. That's just how you feel towards your uncle."

I slid my hands out of my pockets. The hundreds of urns that were surrounding me across all four walls suddenly felt more prominent in their niches, as if I had just registered their looming presence in this building for the dead. 

So it wasn't a secret anymore. Maybe it was never a secret, if my dad knew all along. I took small steps towards the niche where my uncle's remains rested. The porcelain urn was like the others, black words printed on the off-white surface to identify the deceased. There was also a framed yellowed photo of my uncle in his thirties next to the urn, but the similarities ended there. 

The rest of the niche was empty. No flowers, no gifts, not even a possession to remind people of what my journalist uncle was like. Even something generic like a camera would've been good enough, but no one bothered. 

I turned around to face my dad. "You're wrong. I am angry at you." There was conviction, rather than anger, in my voice. 

"Because I can't hate someone I barely know. And because you never told me anything about my uncle, and I had to find out by eavesdropping in my relatives' conversations. He was the last person to talk to my mom before she went off and took her life."

My dad opened his mouth as if he was about to rebuke, but resignation crossed his face and he sighed. "Let's talk outside."

He began walking towards the exit before I could say anything. Being a scientist - a man of logic and rules - he never argued once the truth was out. If it was right, it was right. Perhaps that was a good trait to have, but I thought that only made him look like a loser who could never stand up for himself.

Once outside, I really started to feel hot in the suit. I loosened my tie and waited for my dad to say something.

"What you said inside, it doesn't prove anything." He straightened his suit. "Your uncle had nothing to do with what happened to your mother."

"How can you be so sure?" I used a patronizing tone but inside I felt a sliver of hope. My dad never threw out baseless claims unless he had evidence to back it up.

Which is why my heart sank when he replied with, "Because your uncle and your mother were good friends. He would never do such a thing."

"You don't know that. You weren't there when uncle talked to mom." I didn't care that the words came out sourly.

Fed up at my attitude, my dad narrowed his eyes slightly. "Yes, but I know what he did say."

With the back of my hand I wiped away a drop of sweat trickling down my neck. "What?" I needed to know _how_ , too, but the _what_ was more important right now. I needed to know what my mom heard that was so pivotal she had to leave us without a farewell.

My dad hesitated here, so I fixed my gaze and urged him to talk. On top of that, the height I had on him probably created some extra pressure too. 

"He was warning your mother. To run away." 

"From what?" I pushed, knowing he would shrink away if I didn't.

His voice got quiet suddenly, and he couldn't look straight into my eyes anymore. I knew I wouldn't like to hear it before he even said it. "From the lab where she participated in the experiments."

 _Experiments._ That word again. I broke eye contact and diverted my gaze elsewhere. A bunch of vegetation. A group of people in black formal wear walking towards the columbarium. It gave me a second to focus on something else while I pull myself together.

" _Those_ experiments?" I faced my dad again. He was staring at the ground. "I should've trusted my instincts. I _knew_ they weren't good. But I ignored it and lived my life trying to forget it."

A surge of anger washed over me. I tear off my jacket, nearly pulling apart the sleeves in the process. It was still too hot, so I rolled up my shirt sleeves. I forgot to undo the cuff buttons so they plopped out as I pushed them up my arm.

"Wooyoung-"

"What? Are you going to tell me now? Are you finally going to explain to me what those experiments were? Why? Why now? Why not just hide it from me like you did my whole f**king life? I know you want me to forget it because you want to forget it too. So keep doing it. Don't stop now."

The outrage was over. Short but, I hope, to the point. My breathing was loud. I made it louder than necessary, but naturally, it faded with each breath. I waited for my dad to shout back at me, to say that I was wrong. To do anything that showed that he was still there. Not the person, but the heart. 

But he simply sat down, on the ledge of a boxed-off area of greenery. My breathing was back to normal. 

Being frustrated, angry, and sad all at once was not a good feeling. It made it hard to breathe because I felt my breath hitching as I was caught in the middle of crying out with my voice or crying out with my eyes. 

I cried in the end because I could bit my lip to swallow my words, but squeezing my eyes only pushed my tears out. 

It took me a while to calm down. When my tears no longer blurred my vision, I saw a black leather notebook being handed to me. My dad nudged it towards me. I looked up with swollen and questioning eyes. 

"It was your uncle's notebook. He records everything he sees in it, in case he needs them for his articles." My dad's voice was subdued as if he was the one going through all this when I was the one who was digesting everything for the first time. 

I took the notebook with a weak grip. As soon as it was out of my dad's hands, he stood up and left. I understood that there was no point in calling him back. He gave me what I wanted, so his use was no more. 

If my hands were weak then my legs would come next, so I sat down before I flipped open the notebook. The firmness of the leather cover was lost to the frays on its edges, and the pages were yellowed and frail. Despite its weathered state, I could still make out the faint earthy smell of the material. This one reminded me of mountains.

My heart began racing as I scanned the last few pages, where I found my mother's name, in a list of seven other feminine names. There were ticks and crosses next to each. My mom had a cross. I forced myself to look away before I could think any of it. Those markings could've meant anything. It didn't have to mean dead or alive.

The next page distracted me conveniently. This was about me, too. 

\- _Innocreation's experiments →_ _on superpowers???  
\- 8 women  
\- no effects shown when the media found out  
\- antidote given  
 **-** destruction of all evidence → lab and test subjects_  
 _ **-** possibility: passed on to   
_

The last letter "o" ended with a long streak across the page. I shuddered as a chill traveled down my spine. Did something happen to my uncle when he wrote that? But even more chilling was the revelation of my life. 

What if the last line indicated that the powers were passed on to us? The children? It made sense because I could teleport. It was the only way this could make sense.

The edge of the pages crumpled in my hands. I was clutching the book subconsciously this whole time. My heart was pounding. I felt the blood rushing to my brain, making me lightheaded. Because the longer I stared at the page, the more answers I got. 

My dad told me that mom participated in the experiments due to the curiosity of a scientist. Maybe she didn't think it was unethical, to perform experiments on living people. But most people thought otherwise, so the lab had to either admit to it or deny it and destroy all evidence. 

Was that what happened to my mother? Was she...a piece of evidence that was destroyed? What about me? Does no one know that I was a living piece of evidence too?

I slammed the notebook shut and closed my eyes. Whoever made the saying "out of sight, out of mind", was so wrong. 

All I could think of all day was whether the answers I came up with were correct. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wooyoung learns a lot thanks to his late uncle's notes. Will he continue seeking answers, or will he put this all behind him? Read on to find out!


	10. A Note

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yeosang writes a note for Yunho, but will he earn Yunho's trust?

_June 4, 2018_

**Yeosang**

I stared at the clock above the chalkboard and counted down the minutes. The bell would ring soon, and I would get my chance. My professor was explaining the last page of unit four in our textbooks, but there wasn't anything I didn't already know. All I did was scan the page and my brain would receive all the knowledge I needed. It helped me skip one year in high school. It was a convenient talent. 

I was doodling in my notebook when my pencil lead snapped.

No, it wasn't a talent anymore. That thought lingered uncomfortably until I corrected it. It was a supernatural ability. Or at least, to a certain extent. I couldn't breathe fire, or turn invisible, or shape-shift, but I was _super smart._

I knew all the answers to logical questions. 

So when I saw what I saw in the alley opposite my house last Thursday night, I knew, finally, that what my mother said few years ago was true. After recognizing Yunho - he was a freshman who won a few awards and was popular in the university - in the alley and seeing him perform telekinesis, everything clicked.

Superpowers did exist, and I was one of the people who had it. Whether that was lucky or unlucky, I didn't dare say. The important thing was my mother wasn't lying, and what I found out must had something to do with her missing. 

"Class dismissed!" Shuffling of books and papers erupted as soon as the professor's declaration was made.

I put my books back into my bag as well, but took something else out. A folded note and a vial of dark blue liquid. The vial only contained the sample. It was something my mom gave me before she disappeared. 

She called it the antidote, and told me to take it if my body started doing weird things. People would chase me down if I didn't.

Nothing made sense to me at that moment. Even now my head was spinning as I put the pieces together and tried to understand the bigger picture. But I had too little to work with, hence the note. Talking to someone who was also involved was the only way for me to learn more about my mom.

I zipped up my bag, the noise it made echoing off the empty lecture hall. My shoes thudded on the wooden stairs as I descended down the rows of seats. 

Outside in the hallway, I slithered through the students milling about and looked for locker 323. I took some time on Friday to follow Yunho around until he needed to use his locker, and now I had found the same one, right next to the west entrance of the building. 

The note would slip in between the holes on the locker door easily, but I had to open it in order to put the vial in. The antidote was crucial for my plan to work. It was evidence to prove that I wasn't lying. 

I touched the padlock, the same one that was used for all lockers. My fingers grazed over the three number combination. Maybe I shouldn't be doing this, but my brain had already made the decision.

Three seconds later, I was looking inside the locker. The combination was 3-2-3, the same as the locker number. I didn't even have to think much because that was what everyone did - leave the lock at its default combination that was the locker's identification number. 

Yunho's locker wasn't just neat. It was organized by the height of the textbooks, and there weren't any dust, not even in the corners. Polaroids of Yunho and his brother was stuck onto the back of the locker door with blue tack. They were together in the alley, but I only saw Yunho's powers. 

The big glass doors next to be swung open and a group of students walked in. I placed the note and the vial in front of the textbooks and closed the door. 

\---

I was walking back to the university dorm after my part time job when I realized I was being followed. I tested it a few times by walking around in circles and turning around abruptly to see if he would freeze or hide suddenly. 

Even though it could've been anyone, I presumed the worst case scenario just in case. They must've found out about me and the antidote. I didn't know what they wanted, but if my mom disappeared to run away from someone, this was them.

Losing him was the first priority, and I had to do that without exposing where I live or which school I go to.

In front of me was the coffee shop that most students from the university frequently visited. Instead of turning right at the intersection towards the university, I walked passed the coffee shop and crossed the road to the opposite street. 

I walked deep into the city center. City people were always out, even during the weekdays. Pubs were already filled with white collar workers and the streets were crowded with rich people who shopped for fun. 

With so many people surrounding me, I would already be more difficult to spot, but just to be safe, I made a turn and entered a cinema.

There was a cluster of people in the cinema, lining up for tickets or waiting to be let in the theater houses. I stopped at the end of the queue and examined the screens on top of the counter, which displayed the available seats for the movies that were going to show soon. The green squares were the empty ones, and the red ones were taken.

I took out my phone and pretended to take a selfie. There were two people between me and my follower.

When it was my turn to buy the tickets, I chose the house with the most red. It was a Japanese romance movie that was starting in ten minutes. 

"Thank you," I said to the cashier, who smiled told me to enjoy the movie. _Well, that's not going to happen,_ I told myself.

Outside house four, I stood close to the group of people gathered around with bags of popcorn and cups of drinks. I looked around the cinema and tapped on my phone occasionally as if I was waiting for my friend, when in fact I was looking for my follower. I couldn't see him, but that didn't mean he couldn't see me.

When the doors opened to the theatre and a rush of even stronger air conditioner air escaped to greet me, I squeezed in with the other ticket-holders, making sure there were people behind me. Inside, I climbed the stairs to the top without hesitation and picked a seat at the end of the last row. 

There was barely any light in the corner of the house. I pulled the hood of my gray hoodie over my head and stared at my lap. The glow from my phone screen would illuminate my face, so I turned it off and put it face down on my thighs. 

Moving my eyes but not my head, I glanced towards the entrance at the trail of people filing in. If I didn't see him, he probably already lost me.

Still, that didn't mean I could dismiss the possibility of him being here, on one of those many seats in front of me. I shuddered, despite knowing he would most likely not do anything in front of so many people, despite the fact that if worse came to worse, I could scream, make a scene, and run away amid the chaos. 

Hushed murmurs filled the room quickly as the number of available seats dwindled. People who came in now had to squeeze past legs to get to an empty spot. 

My eyes were still fixed onto the entrance. 

Eventually, the lights dimmed, the screen lit up, and music blasted through the surround-sound speakers. 

I blinked, and there he was.

I knew it was him because he wore a cap and came in empty handed, like me. He also looked around. Not for a seat, but for me. 

Thinking quickly, I turned to the person beside me and whispered, "Excuse me, I think my pack of tissues fell between our seats and landed under yours. Can you check?"

As that person bend down to check, I looked back at the entrance. 

A member of staff was shining a torch on the ground and leading the man in the cap to the nearest seat. 

"Sorry, I couldn't find it."

I told the person it was okay. 

The man who followed me all the way here disappeared into one of the front rows. I parted my lips and sighed, but still found myself looking at his general direction throughout the movie. 

Thirty minutes into the movie, I got up quietly and exited the theatre house. No one followed me this time, as I returned to the university dorm. 

Inside my room, I switched on my phone and checked if I had any missed calls. My call log was empty. 

I wrote my phone number on the note I placed in Yunho's locker. Right now, there was no way to know if he took it yet.

My chest tightened the more I thought about it. The fact that I was followed after seeing Yunho in that alley and writing that note wasn't a coincidence.

I treaded into dangerous territory by trying to figure out the truth behind the antidote, and now I was going to face the consequences.

The only choice was to work quick.

My heart nearly jumped out of my chest when my phone started ringing. The number wasn't in my contacts. I received the call immediately.

_Is this Yeosang? I'm Yunho._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The members are coming together! They will start to find out more about their past and (maybe) realize they should be in this together.
> 
> You can also look forward for the interaction between Yeosang and Yunho ;)


	11. A Memory

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yunho tells San about Yeosang's note and they discuss their next step. Things are getting on track, but sometimes you get too ahead of yourself and miss something more important...

_June 4, 2018_

**San**

"You got a note?!" I gaped at Yunho in my desk chair in our dorm room.

He jumped and flapped his hands at me. "Can you _please_ quiet down?"

"What are you fretting about? We're the only ones in our room!" I waved one arm around me to make my point, but Yunho still had that intense glare fixed on me, so I complied. "Fine. Let me see the note."

Yunho took a piece of paper from the front pocket of his bag and handed it to me. He let go of it the moment I touched it.

The paper crumpled loudly as I unfolded it.

_I saw you in the alley that night. I have some information you might want to know, about your powers. The vial is one of them. It's a small sample of the antidote that can allegedly get rid of your powers. Call me if you want to learn more. 010-6745-3492_

_\- Kang Yeosang (Sophomore)_

"Here's the antidote he was talking about," Yunho said as soon as I looked up.

I examined the dark blue liquid in the small cream jar. It was almost opaque, exactly like how I would imagine a potion to look like, if they were a thing. There was no way to tell if it really was what Yeosang said it to be, but instincts told me that we shouldn't just dismiss it as a prank.

Yunho set the jar down on the table when I didn't take it.

"What happened in the alley?"

Yunho hesitated before replying. "Jongho and I fought off two bullies from Jongho's school." His eyes were slanted to the side and down. "With our powers."

I widened my eyes and stood up. But that wasn't enough, so I clapped too. "You used your powers? I can't believe it!" Then I narrowed my eyes. "Wait. Are you really Yunho?"

"I'm really not in the mood right now, San." Yunho's sigh reverberated in the room. "Just tell me what you think. Because I don't know what to do."

I sat down immediately and propel myself towards Yunho with my feet. He stared back at me with tired eyes. Sometimes I wondered how it was possible for an elite student like him to be so oblivious. "Isn't it obvious? We _have_ to meet up with Yeosang!"

Yunho blinked twice. Once to get rid of his lethargy, and once to clear up the confusion as my words registered. "What?" Then he said it again as if he couldn't believe he said it. " _What?_ That's literally the worst thing I could do."

Exasperated, I leaned back in my chair. "But we can't ignore the coincidence! I told you about Yeosang last week, after you saw my notebook. Remember?" At this point I got worked up again, desperate to explain my train of thought. My back left the chair backrest as I bent my body forward. "Then he appeared immediately afterwards, and with evidence that he might be involved!"

"No," Yunho said, frowning at me. "We don't know what _this_ is." He stabbed a finger at the small jar. "And the coincidence _proves_ that he's fishy. Why was he even in that alley in the first place? And why is he helping us when he barely knows us?"

It took me considerable effort to suppress my frustration. "Would he really ask to meet up when he knows what kind of power you have?" Yunho was still staring at me with a comically confused face, so I added, "All he has is his big brain, but you have something that can harm humans physically. He wouldn't give you that note unless he actually has something important to share."

"Or," he said, crossing his arms skeptically. "Unless he has backup. Maybe someone that can make fire with his hands, or someone who can summon lightning."

I leaned forward and unfolded Yunho's arms gently. "He wouldn't give you his number if he wanted to hurt or kill you. He would've asked you meet somewhere secluded, where no one can see you." 

Yunho didn't try to loosen my grip on his hands. His expression went blank for a moment as he went deep in thought. Then he blinked and his doubtful gaze dissipated. "Well, you're right...I guess."

"So you'll call him?" I couldn't help but feel excited. We might find clues about our past soon.

"Yes, San. I'll call him." As if to prove it to me, Yunho picked up his phone straight away. 

Fingers crossed tightly, I watched Yunho dial in the number written on the note. With my ears strained, I could hear the sound of the dial tone coming from Yunho's phone. The anticipation I felt was off the roof. I didn't dare think what would happen if Yeosang didn't pick up. This would work. It had to. He was the one who initiated this meetup, so he would pick up.

And he did. 

I clenched my hands into fists and pumped the air with jerky movements. Yunho gave me a half-hearted, awkward smile and turned away from me to focus on the call.

"Is this Yeosang? I'm Yunho."

Getting nervous, I stood up and paced around as I waited. Listening to one side conversations took incredible amount of patience.

"Yes, yes, I received it." Yunho nodded. The way he was pressing his phone against his ear, I could tell he was intrigued too. 

A short pause later, Yunho bounced off his chair. "Now?"

Yunho glanced at the desk clock in the middle of the desk. It was almost nine o'clock at night. I understood immediately and patted Yunho's shoulder to get his attention. As soon as he turned to me, I nodded vigorously and mouthed, "Go meet up."

He bit his lip, looking reluctant. So I begged him silently by clawing at his shirt sleeves until he acquiesced. "Okay, sure, I'll see you on the rooftop."

I grinned and gave my roommate two thumbs up as he hung up.

"I won't forgive you if this doesn't turn out the way you said it will," Yunho mumbled, picking up the jar of antidote and stuffing it into his pocket.

"Yes, I understand. Just go on your way, and tell me everything afterwards." I pushed Yunho towards the door, but he was big and he barely moved.

"Why don't you just come with me?"

"No no no," I waved my hands at him. "Yeosang doesn't know me, and he gave _you_ the note. If I went with you, it will be a breach of the trust between you two." I didn't tell him about my plan to follow him and then eavesdrop. 

Yunho scoffed. "Aren't you taking this a bit too seriously?" I side eyed him. "Fine, I'll go alone."

Pleased, I smiled and waved Yunho off. The hallway leading to the staircase was straight and long, so I had to wait about two minutes before going out. 

There were only thirty seconds left to my timer when my phone started to ring. 

I was surprised to see who it was, and a bit disappointed that my plan was ruined, but I had to receive the call.

"Mom?"

_Hello my wonderful son!_

I flinched and pulled the speaker away. "You're too loud mom...Why are you calling me? I'm in the middle of some-"

_Oh, was I? I'm sorry._

As expected, her voice was still just as loud. Annoyed, I lowered my eyelids halfway even though no one could see it. 

_I'm here to give you some side dishes! You must be too busy to cook healthy meals for yourself!_

I closed my eyes for a moment to compose myself. There were a lot of questions I wanted to ask, such as _Why did you have to come today out of all days,_ but all I said was, "Okay mom. I'll come down to get it."

_Alright. I'll be waiting by the dorm entrance._

As soon as I hung up, I let out a deep, long sigh. Now, I had no choice but to wait for Yunho to tell me everything. I took my phone and left the room.

Outside the dorm building, I saw my mom standing with a red shopping bag by her legs. I jogged towards her and let her pull me into a hug.

"You've lost weight again," said my mom. She held my face with her hands. 

I was disappointed from not being able to follow up with my plan, but that feeling disappeared when I saw my mom. "That's not true. I eat a lot everyday."

"Here, take this. I can make more if there's not enough. Share some to your roommate. He's quite skinny too." My mom bent down to reach for the bag, but I took the straps before she could. It was heavier than I thought.

"I will. Thank you." I looked at my mom's eyes, long and sharpened at the edges like mine. I smiled. 

She placed a hand on my arm and rubbed it. "Take care."

I nodded. Time seemed to stretch out as we held each other's gazes. Then the moment passed and we said our final goodbyes.

My mom turned around and walked towards the campus gate. She insisted that she didn't need me to escort her. Her body shrunk slowly as the distance between us increased. Then, just before she turned too small for me to see, a memory appeared to the surface of my mind. 

I saw myself in a third-person view, standing in front of my much younger mom. I looked no more than five years old in this memory. My mom was kneeling down to my eye level, her left hand on my face. She was talking and I was listening intently. There was a smile on her face, but I was looking at her blankly. Maybe I was too young to understand whatever she was saying. There was no way to know because sound wasn't part of these memories. 

Then my mom stood up and the picture faded away. I was still holding the red shopping bag. My mom in real life was long gone.

There was no big deal about seeing these memories, because that was my power, though I never thought it was impressive enough to be a _super_ power. I could see anyone's most important memory as long as I could get a good look at their faces. 

I couldn't put my finger on it, but something about that memory was bothering me.

My arm was starting to protest due to the heavy bag, so I switched it to my other hand and made my way back inside the building. 

The room was still empty when I entered it. Occupied with my thoughts, I forgot to put the side dishes in the fridge and sat down absently. 

I must've been sitting there for quite a while, because Yunho was back by the time I came to my senses. 

"Are those your mom's dishes? Wahhh they look and smell delicious! You're so lucky to be able to taste your mom's cooking since you were born!" I heard Yunho shuffling around in the bag, taking boxes out and stacking them again to see all the food. "Shouldn't you put these in the fridge-"

I jumped to my feet right then. It finally hit me, at the most unexpected moment.

"What's wrong?"

I turned to Yunho, my eyes widening with alarm. "My mom...her memory changed."

Yunho frowned, but my concern was contagious. He stumbled over his words. "Memory? Her most important one?"

There was no time to explain. I nodded and rushed out the door. 

"Hey wait, where are you going?"

In the hallway, I looked over my shoulder. Yunho was outside our room, the doorknob in his hand.

"To find my mom," was my hasty reply. I continued running without waiting for a reply.

All the way home, all I could think of was the memory I saw just now. It changed since the last time I saw my mother. It never changed until just now. It was always the moment I was born, when my mom was still in bed, and I was just a ball of vulnerable soft bones and tissues wrapped in a white blanket. 

But it wasn't anymore. And the thing is, not everyone knew what the most precious moment of their life was. Not until the moment they die and they "see their life flash across their eyes". And if that changed during one's lifetime, it could only mean one thing.

That the life was going to end unexpectedly, which would create new regrets and therefore, a different piece of memory that would flash across their eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if you were looking forward to knowing what Yeosang told Yunho 😅 This chapter is about San so I had to explain what happened to him first :p
> 
> Also, this is the first chapter I posted after ATEEZ's 2nd anniversary, so congratulations to them!!


	12. An Explanation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yunho meets Yeosang on the rooftop and learns more about his parents, but knowledge doesn't come without consequences.

_June 4, 2018_

**Yunho**

The rooftop was chillier than I thought. Gusty, even. I should've put on a jacket on top of my pajamas, but San was practically pushing me out the door. And I expected this meetup to end soon. I didn't think that Yeosang — a total stranger to me — would earn my trust that easily.

He was standing at the northern edge of the rooftop, back facing me as I took big strides across to him. Yet somehow he knew to turn around when I was only a step away.

"You're here?" It could have just been the loud wind, but I couldn't hear much of an intonation in his voice, so instead of making this a pleasant surprise, he sounded as if he never expected me to show up. 

I took the small vial out of my pocket and shoved it back to Yeosang. He didn't take it, but I wasn't going to let my arm hang there awkwardly, so I used my other hand, grabbed his palm, and crammed the jar into it. 

"Just so you know, I find it hard to believe anything you said in the note." Since he was shorter than me, I had to look down slightly when I talked, but he hadn't bothered to return the manners yet. 

"But you came." He adjusted his headband, pushed it up to keep his blond hair out of his face. 

I knew he was a senior, and maybe he was a prodigy of some sort, but it bothered me that he was right. That he made it sound so easy to figure me out. A closer look at him and I realized I didn't like much about him. 

Everything was too casual. The gray hoodie and matching sweatpants, the cozy slippers you wore at home that covered your toes, the slightly messy hair everyone got right after taking a shower. Even his somewhat languid eyes irked me, making me think that he knew everything, was complacent and was somehow okay with all of this. 

But I wasn't. My peaceful life was vulnerable, and he was only creating more cracks in it. And for no good reason, as far as I could see right now. "Why were you in the alley that night?"

Finally he tilted his head to look at me. "For the same reason you were. I was going home. Family dinner."

The incomplete sentences were the triggering point. I asked him plainly, "How are you so _calm_? If you had the antidote all along, if you knew-" Then it hit me. He had supernatural intelligence. More likely than not. So... "Wait, you must've known all along! If you are that smart, you would've figured it out. Why are you only taking action now?"

Yeosang fell silent, his gaze traveling elsewhere.

By following that train of thought, I had almost forgotten the fact that I _didn't_ want anything to do with this. Maybe I should've left then. Tell San it was nothing, just a prank, or a faulty lead. I was about to do exactly then, when Yeosang broke up from what I assumed was a deep rumination. 

"Your parents' deaths might not be an accident."

I was so shocked I lost balance, my right foot scraping backwards to catch myself. "What?" I wasn't sure if I was heard under the whooshing wind.

"I wasn't looking for answers. I didn't believe what my mom said about superpowers. But I saw you. And then everything clicked."

And just like that he returned to replying my previous questions. It hit me then, that he added that statement just to grab my attention. I grabbed his shoulders and squeezed them until he looked me in the eyes. 

"What do you mean my parents' death wasn't an accident? What do you _mean_?" I almost forgot to add, "And how did you know about my parents?" 

"I said it might not be. I'm not sure. I heard from others. Word travels fast once another person other than you knows. Some sympathize, some just pity you."

The nonchalance severed my heart, the place I hid my emotions. "How can you say it like that? If it wasn't an accident then someone else must've done it. How can you be so cold-hearted when talking about these things?" 

Tears sprang to my eyes but I didn't care that I was sobbing in front of a person I barely knew. The pain was back, more agonizing than ever. The mysteries, the unknown, the long journey I had to go through to find all the correct answers, they hurt me the most. That was why I decided to forget and ignore, to live a normal life. Or at least pretended to, so I didn't have to face all of that. 

"Because one person has to stay calm for the other." 

It took me a while to register that Yeosang was speaking. I blinked away the tears that were in my eyes but did nothing about the ones that were already on my cheeks. My grip on Yeosang's shoulders loosened.

"I will tell you everything. I'm waiting until you are willing to believe me, and you're calm enough to understand me." He stared at me, his eyes marginally softer. 

Anyone could tell he was genuinely sympathetic, so I felt bad when for a split second I doubted whether his sympathy was an actual emotion, or if it was simply simulated since he knew logically that it would be beneficial in this situation.

"So you know the whole story?" I asked.

"There are missing elements, but I'm confident about the rest."

I straightened up, my cheeks already dry thanks to the wind. "Can you start with my parents?" Remembering what San told me, I added, "Or yours? I heard your mom is missing."

"That's actually where it all began, anyway. Our mothers, probably a few others too, participated in an experiment. Seemingly for money. The experiments had something to do with superpowers."

"But I don't think my mom had one."

"My mom didn't have one either. That's why she gave me the antidote." Yeosang took something out from his hoodie pocket. It was a long syringe with blue liquid, but it wasn't fully filled up. "This is the actual sample."

There were so many questions that I didn't know where to start asking, but at least I knew the person in front of me could answer all of them, and I found comfort in that. "Why did they make the antidote?" 

"The experiments were definitely illegal, so when someone found out they had to get rid of the evidence. The antidote was used first, but to be safe they exploded the lab. The test subjects would've been inside too, but luckily they were warned in advance. By who, I don't know."

I shivered involuntarily. _The test subjects would've been inside._ My mom would've died either way. The memory of my mom's head injury in shotgun after our car crash was horrible enough, but that didn't stop my brain from imagining the agonizing scene of my mother being in an exploding building. 

"They didn't know that their experiment failed. Partly. The experiment didn't work on our mothers, but they thought the effects were going to show up soon. That's why the antidotes were given." 

There was the flat, business-like tone again. I reminded myself that he was keeping calm for the good of both of us. And all of it started to make sense when I forced myself to digest the words in an objective way. "We were the ones who got the superpowers. The children."

Yeosang nodded and looked at the syringe in his hand. "My mom was -- _is_ a scientist." Despair crossed his face when he made the mistake, but it was gone as quickly as it appeared, and the stony expression was back. 

"She guessed that the effects of the experiment might be passed down to the next generation. She was correct. But neither of us knew that I had a superpower when she gave the antidote to me, so I was dubious. Until I saw you in the alley."

He paused here to take a deep breath. I saw his shoulders rise up and sink down. "Now that we found each other and know about this, they probably know too."

"They?"

"The lab might be destroyed, but there are still people out there who were involved back then. Maybe they are trying again, under a different name. I was followed just this evening."

Instincts kicked in and I spun around to check our surroundings. I couldn't see anyone. "This is more serious than I thought." 

"We can't let them find out about us and our powers."

I ran a hand through my hair in frustration. The wind picked the strands apart again as soon as I released my hand. "But someone already did. You said you were followed. Did they somehow find out about your note?"

"Maybe. It's more likely that they started looking after someone else exposed themselves. We're not the only ones, you know."

Frustrated at the situation and at my messy hair, I asked, "What should we do?"

"I said that there are missing elements." 

Dread spread through me like wildfire. I wanted to pace, or jump. To do anything to release the nervous energy inside me.

"The lab that exploded was _Innocreation_ ," Yeosang continued. "The name is embossed on the syringe. But I don't know where to find them now."

The air went still. My nerves were still buzzing. 

"But first things first." I was glad Yeosang said something, because my throat was clogged. "You should tell your brother. And anyone you know that are like us. Warn them."

My heart leaped at the mention of Jongho. Was he safe? I should've texted him today. I should call him now. But he didn't know yet. He didn't know any of what I just learnt. Without a second thought I blurted, "I can't tell him. He shouldn't be involved. It's too dangerous."

Something touched my arm. Yeosang's hand. It refocused me on the reality of the situation. "You have to. They are going to find him even if you don't tell him. So you have to talk to him. And he might know something you don't."

The last sentence shook me. Jongho would tell me if he knew something, wouldn't he? 

I nodded. 

"I'll see what I can find," said Yeosang. He left with that. 

By the time I returned to my room, I had composed myself and fixed on a neutral expression. It was late, and I didn't want to worry San until at least tomorrow, after we all had a good night's sleep.

So when I saw the side dishes San's mother made, I diverted the attention. At least I didn't have to lie -- the dishes really were amazing. I fumbled around the bag, looking at all the boxes until I realized that they should be in the fridge.

"Shouldn't you put them in the fridge-"

San cut me off by standing up suddenly. It took one look at his wide eyes for me to know that something was wrong.

He rushed out the door and I followed. 

"To find my mother," he shouted at the hallway.

I stood at the door, halfway between my room and the hallway. All I could think of was what Yeosang said on the rooftop. 

Did they find out about San too?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeosang has an explanation for everything and he shared it with Yunho, so all they have to do is to test that theory and see if it's true. But it's not going to be easy when they seem to become more vulnerable the more they know...


	13. An Encounter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mingi tries to clear his head after learning about his birth father but ends up becoming a lifesaver in the streets.

_June 4, 2018_

**Mingi**

My dad. My dad who wasn't my biological father. I didn't think I would ever get used to seeing him as a foster dad. But I wasn't stupid; I knew that it was the reality I had to face, whether I could get used to it or not.

So after breakfast, when he asked me to take a half-day off work, I did so without a single protest. There was no point in delaying the inevitable.

"About your dad," my dad began. I pretended not to notice the guilt in his voice so I wouldn't have to get angry. This wasn't his fault after all.

It had been more than a week since I eavesdropped on my dad's conversation with my real dad. I didn't blame him for dragging this out, though. This was hard on both of us, and I couldn't expect everyone to be the same as me - to want to get things over with as quickly as possible.

When I had to peel off bandaids as a kid, I always did it in one, decisive pull. It always stung afterward, but it was better than stopping midway and having to deal with the pinching sensation of skin sticking to the adhesive underside of the bandaid.

"Just get to the point, dad. Tell me who my birth father is, and anything you know about him that directly affects me or my mother." In case I didn't make myself clear, I added, "Leave out the useless details, like your relationship with my mother."

"Okay," my dad replied. I could see his arms moving, probably due to fidgeting hands under the table. "Your dad, Yun Yeongcheol, worked in a lab called _Innocreation_."

"Worked?"

"The lab was destroyed in an explosion." The breakfast in my stomach churned with unease. "And he's no longer working in a lab. His first son - with another woman - extended his legacy and started his own lab, called CrossGen."

"You said my dad did something to my mother," I said, barely getting the words out.

I tried not to tense up when I saw my dad turn stiff in his seat. "Many years ago, before you were even born, he did...he wanted to be famous. So he tried things no one ever would've ever dared to."

It took me all my self-control not to interrupt and push him to _just say it_.

"He tried to create a serum that can give humans supernatural powers."

Without knowing where this was going, I let out a scoff. As far as I knew, superheroes existed only in novels and movies.

"But he failed, and the media was about to expose his unethical practices, so he tried to destroy the evidence."

The words slurred together towards the end as if my dad tried to say them all at once. I understood, though. And the implications were chilling.

"Are you saying he _planned_ the explosion? And my...my m..." Frustrated from not being able to say the word, I turned away and looked at the ceiling, my tongue stretched to the roof of my opened mouth.

"Yes." My dad's voice was no more than a breathy sigh, but the confirmation was made solid clear.

A surge of anger, a loud bang. My hand, curled into a fist, was stinging and pressed onto the table. "You knew what happened but never told anyone?!" I flinched at the accusatory tone that didn't sound like me. This wasn't me at all.

Usually, I'd suck up anything and everything that came out of my inhumane bosses from my dozen of odd jobs.

I wasn't sure if I startled my dad, but he didn't sound fazed when he explained, "Because that was when your mother had you. She trusted your birth father. She was amazed by his idea and believed that he would keep trying until he succeeded. But when she found out that he was going to pull a few strings to get out of trouble, she knew she had to hand you over to me."

Once again looking for a place to unleash my emotions, I directed my pain towards my dad and let my ice-cold stare bore at him. 

"I kept the secret to keep you safe, Mingi." 

_And you nearly killed my mom because of that,_ I almost said. But I knew it wouldn't be fair for him, the person I called dad for twenty years of my life. He was just trying to protect me. 

"Dad..." He was looking down at the table, his face hidden from view. I think he was crying, but even if he wasn't, I still wanted to hold his hand. So I did, and after a while, he put his other hand on mine and squeezed.

"Your father wants you back." My dad was looking back at me now. I couldn't look away from his stern eyes. 

I shook my head. "I won't go back." 

"No, you _can't_. He wants you for one reason only." I could feel my palms sweating. "You're another piece of evidence that could prove what happened years ago."

My brain blanked out as it tried to comprehend the meaning behind that sentence. I wasn't an educated person, but living a rocky life had taught me enough to put two and two together, especially when it involved relationships built upon shared benefits.

I could meet my blood father for the first time, but in return he wanted something. And there was only one thing I had that he could possibly want.

"Are you saying I have superpowers?" I knew the answer as I said it: my athletic talent and heightened senses weren't just genes. 

I took the silence as a yes. Then I slid my hand away from my dad's rough palms and stood up, all without looking him once.

At the door, I said, "I'm going out." It was almost time for my afternoon shifts, but that was just an excuse. For the first time in my life, I wouldn't beat myself up for taking a day off. 

"Be careful," my dad said just as I was stepping outside. Whether he was talking about the usual - look out for cars, don't hurt yourself when working - or about my mental state, I couldn't be sure. 

But I promised to try.

There wasn't any place I wanted to go, so I ended up in the city center, where I usually went for work anyway. 

Every street was filled to the brim with busy people, so it took me a while to notice the tight pack of people crowded awkwardly on the other side of the road. As I walked closer I noticed that everyone had their heads lifted, along with their phones. 

So I slowed down and once I aimed my gaze a bit higher it was hard to miss the source of the commotion. I could make out the shape of a person perching on the very edge of the rooftop on a tall office building. 

Able to see farther than most people could, I also knew that his toes were already hanging outside the edge. 

As useless as this made me sound, I stood there standing for a moment. That was what everyone would do, wasn't it? They were doing it right now, right below the soon-to-be suicide- victim. 

It came sooner than I thought. The jump. 

Someone shouted one final redundant "don't!", but most of them turned away so they wouldn't have to witness the moment the body hit the ground, or the blood that would splatter everywhere, or the crooked limbs resulting from bone dislocation.

I was doing neither of those things because my legs were too busy moving. Car horns exploded consecutively like fireworks as I ran across the road, but I made it past without getting hit even once as I locked my eyes on the falling man the whole time. 

If the crowd didn't make way for a crazy man charging towards them at an inhuman speed, then I must've pushed through myself. Either way, I made it in time. 

The full-grown man landed on my arms and I knelt down to absorb the impact. My knees and arms might ache a bit afterward, but I was fine. The man in my arms wasn't, though. 

His face was really pale. He looked like someone who just came back from the dead. I cringed when I realized that wasn't far from the truth at all. 

The bystanders surrounding us gradually registered my presence with loud gasps and hesitant clapping. 

"Can you stand?" I asked the person in my arms. He gave me a tiny nod, so I set him down as gently as I could. Turned out it wasn't easy for someone who was used to doing things quickly and valued efficiency over quality. 

The distant sounds of ambulance sirens were the cue for me to leave. I shoved past the ever-growing crowd, not bothering to hide my face from the tiny phone cameras aimed at me, and ended up in an alley.

I was in the middle of the alley when my phone rang. It wasn't a number I saved in my contacts, but I picked it up. Might've been one of my bosses asking where I was. 

But of course it wasn't. Things never went the way I expected them to. 

A gruff voice on the other end said, "Your mother is in danger. Keep listening if you want her alive."

I pulled the phone away to double check. I definitely didn't know who the caller was. 

I hung up.

Not that I didn't care about my mom, but it was a trap. My mom had been missing for decades. Why now? Right after I found out about my birth father? 

I continued walking and pondered my next move. A few steps in and I was again interrupted by a poke on my shoulder. I sighed but turned around. I thought it would be one of those people who saw my 'incredible feat' and was here to say some useless bull that was spoken more for their satisfaction than for my pride.

I took one glance at the man in front of me and somehow knew immediately that he was here for something else. 

"Who are you?" I asked. He was shorter than me - not surprising since I was tall - but he was the kind of person who would look good in simple clothes like the plain black and white track suit he was wearing.

The man stared at me through his mid-length black hair that was parted in the middle to make long bangs. "You were faster than me."

"What?" 

"I saw you run."

"Ah," I said, finally understanding. "Were you trying to catch-"

"You don't understand. I can teleport." 

My brain was much slower than my body. It took me three seconds to figure out what I just heard. "I'm sorry, what?" I scoffed, but inside my heart was beating quickly. 

After what my dad told me this morning, I knew that man wasn't kidding.

Two words popped into my head. _Be careful._ I didn't have time to think whether this was what my father was referring to. Better safe than sorry. 

So before my brain could catch up with a more logical explanation, I stretched out my hands and pushed the man as hard as I could. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mingi meets another 'superhuman' for the first time, and being the kind of person to act before thinking, he decides to not trust the stranger. But who knows? He might change his mind - he's curious about his biological father, after all. ;)


	14. A Change of Plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Right before the designated time for Seonghwa to meet Hongjoong, Seonghwa receives a mysterious phone call and ends up having to change their next move.

_June 3, 2018_

**Seonghwa**

That br- no. _Hongjoong_ and I went to research in a library after we left the coffee shop yesterday, so we found out where the lab is. CrossGen was more well-known than I expected -- credable research papers, exclusive interviews, and periodical articles were all over the search results -- which meant they spent a lot of effort covering up what they did in the past.

I insisted on keeping our phones shut off, so we shared our addresses in case of emergencies. 

Now I was in my room, still wondering if yesterday's events were real. Then I remembered the distress on my father's face last night when I returned, asking me where I've been and whether I found mom, and that was when my nightmare became a reality.

And the reality was, my mom was missing, for less than 24 hours, so I had to go the lab with my new companion, because that was the only way to find any information about my mom without help from the police. 

My dad was sleeping in today, probably because he stayed up late guarding the door thinking that my mom would walk in at any moment and I had to push him into his room to make him give up. 

I left the room to get some breakfast and saw my dad's phone lying on the dining table. The screen lit up when I got close to it. That tiny change was enough to make me jump. I leaned in and read the notification. It was just a reminder for dad to take his pills. 

With one hand over my heart, I sighed a breath of relief. I would turn off my dad's phone for the reason I did mine, but I didn't want to tell him the truth and worry him even further. That would only put more burden on his already sick heart. 

To make myself busy for the one hour I had left before I had to meet up with Hongjoong, I cooked a big breakfast.

I couldn't eat anymore halfway into my meal.

I bought the dishes to the sink and turned on the tap to full blast. The sound of splashing water was like a waterfall that veiled my mind from haunting presumptions about my mom's whereabouts. 

But it didn't help with my paranoia. 

A plate slipped between my soapy fingers when the shrill ringtone of our home phone traveled into the kitchen. The ceramic made a loud clang but didn't break. I bit my bottom lip, turned off the water, and dragged myself towards the living room. 

It could've been anyone, just like how the notification from my dad's phone could've been anything, but that way of thinking wasn't realistic anymore. In this world, one thing led to another. I wasn't naive enough to think that turning off one phone would keep all the dangers away.

The room went dead silent as soon as I picked up the phone. I squeezed the receiver to stop the trembling. All I could hear was static breathing. Instead of letting them intimidate me by stalling, I demanded, "Who are you? What do you want?" 

"Park Seonghwa, am I right?" 

Fear seized me for a short moment. "Yes. How did you find this number?"

"Nothing is hard to find when people have connections." 

I let temporary anger and frustration replace my anxiety and panic. "What do you want?" I asked again. This time, I sounded sure of myself, even though it was just bluff. 

"I know where your mother is." 

The slam hit me unexpectedly. My palms sweated. I stuttered. When he spoke again I knew I had lost the psychological war between us. 

"Don't need to be nervous. Come find us tomorrow if you want your mother back. I'm sure you know who and where I am."

The line went dead. 

Listening to the fading _doot...doot...doot_ sounds, I put the receiver back and stared absently at it. With the end of the call also came the total dissipation of the courage I managed to muster. There were no walls near me to lean on, so I sunk to the floor.

It was clearly a trap to lure me in. CrossGen found out about me and my superpower. My mom wouldn't be there tomorrow. They just wanted to...

I stood up before I could think any further. My mind was a mess. I couldn't let one phone call muddle with my rationality. The first thing I needed to do now was to tell Hongjoong about the call. I didn't want to rely on him in case he wasn't as trustworthy as I wished him to be, but he was the only person I had now. 

Besides, his power would be more useful than mine if we found ourselves in danger. All I could do was wait for a vision from the future to pop up in my head, and even then I couldn't do much to change anything.

Since they already found me, keeping my phone switched off was redundant. I turned it on and dialled in Hongjoong's number before I remembered that his phone was turned off too. 

"Seonghwa?"

I looked at my phone screen and saw the small numbers counting the seconds slowly. I wasn't hearing things. The call went through. 

"Why...I thought you turned off your phone too." I was back in my own room now, sitting on the bed. 

He took so long to answer I thought the line was cut off. 

"I turned it back on in case you called." 

Not knowing what to say, I looked down at my lap. He was lying because he would've said so if something serious actually happened. So he was hiding his feelings. 

"It's okay, I have something to tell you anyway." 

"What is it?"

"Someone called my home phone just now. Someone working at, or for, CrossGen." I summarized the events quickly. "We should just stay home today and go tomorrow instead."

"Will you be okay?" 

I sensed the relief underneath the layer of worry. "Yes. I think they'll keep this as quiet as possible, so no one will show up, with my father home and all." I paused, but not long enough for me to overthink this. "Are _you_ okay?"

I sat through the silence knowing he would still be on the other end. Finally, he said, "Yeah. I'm...I just needed some time."

"I get it." There wasn't anything else I felt like I had the right to say. 

More silence. It didn't make me uncomfortable, but I thought -- being the one who called first -- I should either end the call or say something else. The words came tumbling out as if they had minds of their own.

"You don't have to go with me tomorrow." I palmed my face with my free hand. What was I saying? I needed him. His powers, at least. 

"But-"

The excuses came rambling out. "I mean, I know there's a certain risk. They did...things, to our mothers. There are other ways we can approach this. Like talking to the police, though that might take a lot of persuading... Or we can look for other people like us. There has to be more, right? We can all go together. It'll be safer."

My hand was still on my face, covering my mouth so I wouldn't say more. Heat was rising to my cheeks, and that was only making me even more flustered. Or was I embarrassed? Or angry at myself for acting so out of character? 

Normally I would hold myself together in front of other people. I knew how to act according to how they feel. Talking on the phone was more detached, so I let down my guard and forgot who I was talking to. It was the phone. It had to be. 

"No." Hongjoong's voice snapped me out of my trance. "We can't be absolutely certain that we'll find other people. It'll take too long. And we have to bring the problem to them before they bring the problem to us. And our family and friends."

He was right. Didn't I say something similar yesterday at the cafe? It felt weird to hear my own words delivered back to me again. 

"Yeah, you're right."

"I'll see you tomorrow, then. Same time?"

"Yea, same time."

I fell backwards onto my mattress as soon as he hung up. I made two very different phone calls today. The first one nearly made my heart jump out, and the second one soothed my nerves in a weird way. 

Someone knocked on my door and it clicked open. I sat up as my dad poked his head in. His eyes were groggy from just waking up. I stood up to offer him a seat on my bed, but he shook his head with a weak smile on his lips.

"Let's go for a walk." 

It was the strain in his trembling voice that reminded me once again what was waiting for me tomorrow morning. 

"Sure," I said, making sure my voice was steady.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hongjoong and Seonghwa are on slightly good terms now that they are in this together! :) I hope you are enjoying the story so far XD The members will 'unite' soon and then there will slowly be more action!


	15. A Dispatcher

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> San goes after his mother after realizing that her most important memory has changed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING:  
> Mention of death and blood - if you are sensitive about these topics, please proceed with caution!

_June 4, 2018_

**San**

I ran all the way home, hating myself for not noticing my mom's different memory earlier. The ability to see segments of people's lives had become a natural and autonomous action that I stopped being aware of. 

The only thing that kept my heart from jumping out of my chest was the fact that I knew which path my mom took home every day. She walked slowly and couldn't have gone far. 

I took an immediate right the moment I exited the university gates and ran down the slope to the busier section of the city. It was a Monday night, but the city nightlife had just begun. I had to slow down to skirt through crowds and dodge pedestrians. 

Then the inevitable came and I was forced to stop in front of a crosswalk. My legs bounced impatiently as I swung my head from left to right, looking for an opening between zooming cars to run past. When the _vrooms_ of car engines faded away, I shot forward, ignoring the red man staring at me from the traffic light. 

A few more turns later, I softened my footsteps as I entered the quieter neighborhood. I tried to listen to other footsteps over the sound of blood rushing in my ears, all the while hoping that I haven't already missed my mother on the way here. 

I sped walk down the main street and turned into a narrow street. This was the last turn I had to make before I reached my home. If she wasn't here then- 

I halted when I saw a person lying on the ground, right under a street light. 

I spotted the white cardigan my mom always wore. And the small handbag lying sideways next to her. Her hand was on her body. Something glistened under it. 

I almost tripped as I broke into a run again, trying to shout for my mom but choking on the one-syllable word instead. I gasped for breath. 

My knees crashed onto the hard ground. I put one hand on top of my mom's and applied pressure. I felt, rather than saw, the blood under my fingers because I couldn't bring myself to look.

"M...mom." I tried to keep my eyes on my mother's pale face, her skin glowing softly under the street light. She looked back at me with half-lidded eyes and a weak smile.

Her lips parted to take in a shallow breath, but a guttural noise came out and she coughed. Blood gushed out and spilled down her chin. I had to squeeze my eyes close because my tears were stinging me. 

With tears staining my cheeks, I opened my eyes and shook my head, because I couldn't say anything even if I wanted to. Not the usual, _Don't leave me, stay with me for a moment longer,_ or _the ambulance is coming soon_.

What I really wanted to say was _I'm sorry I didn't notice the sign earlier. I should've known. I have a power nobody else has but I still failed you. I'm so sorry mom. It was my fault.  
_

I stopped moving my head when I felt a squeeze on my free hand. I looked at my mom, then my hand when she pushed my fingers open into a palm. She lifted one trembling finger and touched my palm with the tip of it. 

I sniffed and tried to forget for a moment that my mom was walking on the line between life and death. 

On my palm, the finger drew an arch, two arches, with a small "t" for the second one. _C...G._

The last stroke extended drastically down to my wrist before the finger slid off and landed on the ground. I closed my palm into a fist. It took me more courage than I thought I needed to lift my head, and even more to run a hand over my mother's eyes to close them. 

The pain came in waves after the shock wore off. The first wave was plain grief that I had just lost my mother. The second wave was bitterness that I failed to do more. Then they repeated, like waves in a sea, no matter how small. 

I reached into my pocket for my phone, preparing myself to tell a stranger that my mother had passed away in front of me. When I touched the cold metal in my pocket I realized it was already vibrating. 

I almost burst into tears again when I saw the familiar contact name. _BRE_ for _Best Roommate Ever_. I was dying to hear a familiar voice. 

"Yunho," I said as soon as I picked up the call. My voice trembled even though I managed to keep in the tears.

"San! Your voice...what happened?"

After struggling with the words, I finally said, "I was about to dial 119." 

I heard a soft gasp, then an even softer, "Shit."

Without warning the tears flooded my eyes again. I could barely keep the phone next to my ear as I sobbed quietly.

"Where are you? Are you near your home? I'll come to get you. I called you for something else but that can wait." My chest heaved every time I choked on my own breath. "San. San? Are you listening? I'll call an ambulance for you. I'll...we'll get through this. It'll be okay."

My free hand was still sticky with blood, so I couldn't do anything about the tears on my face. Instead, I squeezed my hand into a fist, feeling the nails digging into my wet palm. It wouldn't be okay, I wanted to say. It wouldn't be okay unless I did something. 

The agony was still there, but I let it fuel the indignation and anger sitting at the corner of my heart. They expand until I felt my blood boil. 

I wasn't going to let them go, after what they did to my mom. And I wasn't going to forgive myself and drown in self-pity when I knew I could've saved my mom if I was a bit more observant. 

"I'm okay," I finally said. My voice was still trembling. Trembling with anger. "I'll call the ambulance. Did you find something after talking to Yeosang? Tell me everything."

"Are you sur-"

"I need to find out who did this. To my mom. To _me._ " It wasn't fair. I wouldn't feel so guilty if I couldn't do anything to save my mother. But I could, and even then I failed. That was the problem. "I don't want this stupid power if I can't do anything with it. All it did was hurt me."

Yunho didn't say anything for a long while. 

"Okay." I heard him taking a deep breath. "Call the ambulance and come back to dorm as soon as you can. Yeosang and I did find something. He figured out most of the story already, but we still have to find the people who did this and make them admit what they did."

 _And to get revenge,_ I thought. "I'll see you soon."

I hung up without waiting a second longer. Then I typed in 1-1-9, pressing the numbers rapidly as if I've done this before, even though this was my first time.

A female dispatcher received my call. Her crisp voice gave me the impression that she was young, but she was calm as I rambled on about my situation - even when I included my phone call with Yunho to explain why it took me so long to call. 

"Don't worry sir. An ambulance is already on its way and will arrive in two minutes." She wasn't only calm, she was sure of herself, sure that I wouldn't worry after the call. And the certainty was what made it true. 

As I ended the call my heart throbbed, yet again regretting my inability to save one of the most important people in my life. I realized at that moment, though it was hard to admit, that I trusted the dispatcher to take care of my mom more than I did myself. 

I gave my mom one last look before I walked back to the main street, and didn't start running until I exited the quiet neighborhood and returned to the still bustling city center. 

The guard at the university gates gave me a look as I walked back into the campus. I started running again once I was out of the guard's vision, speeding all the way to the dorms. I had to made a detour to the bathroom to wash my hands before entering my room. 

I was panting loudly when I opened the door. Before I could say anything, I heard Yunho calling my name, and the next thing I knew we were hugging each other tightly. Over his shoulder, I saw two other people squeezed into our tiny room.

I stepped out of the hug. "Jongho? And you're Yeosang?" 

"I called Jongho after talking to Yeosang," Yunho explained. "I planned to wait until tomorrow, but you rushed out in a hurry and I think I shouldn't wait longer."

"You shouldn't have," said Jongho. "What if those people found out about me tonight and-"

Yunho interrupted in a stern voice. "The more important question is why didn't you tell me earlier that you found something related to our powers?" 

As much as I would like to continue watching the brothers banter, there was something else that we had to do first. "Can someone explain to me what I missed out on? And what does Jongho know?"

"Right. I think we should sit down first."

We followed Yunho's suggestion and found a place to sit. Yunho and I on our beds, and Jongho and Yeosang on our desk chairs. 

Yunho began with his conversation with Yeosang on the rooftop. Even though it was nearing midnight, I was wide awake and listening intently. 

"So now we just have to find out where the new lab is?" I asked. Even though it wasn't my first time seeing the blue chemical, my eyes never left the syringe that Yeosang brought here.

"Yes, and Jongho knows about it." Yunho eyed Jongho. Putting stress on his words, he added, "Since last _Thursday._ " 

"You wouldn't even listen to me back then!"Jongho retorted immediately. "All you wanted to do was to put our past behind us."

I sensed that we were steering off into a sensitive topic. I never told them because they never asked, but I saw different memories for both of them. 

For Jongho it was a very blurry version of their car crash, but for Yunho, it was Jongho's first day of high school. Clearly, Yunho had forgotten, or tried to forget, everything before the new lives they had given themselves. 

To get back on track, I asked, "So what did you find out, Jongho?" 

Jongho looked at me right away. "It was a rumor I heard at school..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you made it all the way, I hope it wasn't too sad for you >< San will be fine in the end so don't worry! :)


	16. A Rumor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jongho learns something through a rumor spreading around his year level.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are a lot of "random" characters that might become confusing, so here's a short list for you to refer to:
> 
> Seonghyuk: Jongho's friend in high school  
> Yun Yeongcheol: Innocreation's owner  
> Yun Jicheol: Yeongcheol's grandson (CrossGen's owner's son), Jongho's school mate

_May 31, 2018_

**Jongho**

I didn't like to gossip. In fact, I hated it. It was just talking about other people because you couldn't talk about yourself with the same confidence. I couldn't do that either, but at least I didn't pretend I did by gossiping.

"Jongho! Want to eat lunch together?" I turned when I heard Seonghyuk's voice. He asked every day even though I had no one else to eat with. He wasn't my only friend, but he was the only person who knew I didn't like gossiping and would actually avoid doing that in front of me. Besides, he never bothered me with rumors about my powers.

"Sure," I said, walking over to him.

In the cafeteria, we sat on the first empty seat we spotted, which was surrounded by four other full tables. Seonghyuk started a conversation about a movie that was released recently, which was interesting because I watched it and I threatened to spoil it between bites.

I was chewing a mouthful of rice when I heard a group of friends talking loudly. Usually I would just ignore it, but something they said got my attention.

Seonghyuk must've noticed my mouth slowing down because he was waving a hand at me and asking me what the matter was, but I was focused on what the girl from the next table was saying.

"I heard that CrossGen's owner's son is in class 12-C."

I swallowed the food in my mouth and placed down my metal spoon when I heard the word CrossGen. That name brought me back to three nights ago when I received my aunt's letters. Almost all of them had that name stamp. I still remembered that their logo is simply two letters CG.

"Wait, isn't that right next to our class?" A boy asked.

"Yes!" Another girl replied.

"Jongho!" I turned my attention back to my friend. "What's wrong with you today?"

"Sorry Seonghyuk, I have to ask something."

"Wait, what-" Without waiting for him to finish, I stood up and walked to the table.

"Can you tell me more about CrossGen?" They were from my class, so despite sharing weird looks with each other they scooched over and let me sit down at the edge of the bench.

"Sure..." The girl, Jieun said. "Dohyun, you know the most among us."

She was gesturing to our class president. I looked at Dohyun expectantly, who looked very excited about the attention he was getting. "Well, his name is Yun Jicheol, and he's a bit of an outcast because of his background." He leaned in conspiratorially and lowered his voice. "I heard that his father's father, or his grandfather, owned another lab years ago, but something happened to it so they had to blow up the lab and start all over with a new name."

The group of friends expressed their surprise with quiet "wow"s, but I could only frown.

"Thank you for your time," I said before returning to Seonghyuk.

My lunch mate was staring at me wide-eyed. "I can't believe it. Did you just gossip?"

I roll my eyes at him playfully and started shoving food into my mouth.

"Are you okay?" Seonghyuk asked. "You're acting really weird today."

I was planning to meet Yun Jicheol after finishing my lunch, but I couldn't tell Seonghyuk that. Knowing him, he would bombard me with questions and I would never be able to leave the cafeteria.

"I'm fine. I just remembered that I have to meet a teacher before lunch ends."

Seonghyuk didn't look convinced, but he stopped asking questions, which I was grateful for.

I emptied my tray in the next five minutes and left first. Seonghyuk could easily find another friend to spend his lunchtime with, so I didn't feel sorry for leaving him alone.

The hallways leading to the classrooms were a bit crowded with everyone eager to get out of their form rooms after a whole morning of classes. I blend in with the students, careful not to let anyone recognize me so they wouldn't pull me over to talk.

I walked past my class, 12-B, and went into 12-C.

I had never met the person I was looking for, but I knew exactly who he was the moment I stepped inside. It was hard to miss the only person who was eating alone in the small room. Like me, he was sitting next to the wall opposite of the entrance, and he was eating quietly from a homemade lunchbox while reading a book laid open on his lap.

"Are you Yun Jicheol?" I asked politely even though the answer was written on his name tag.

Jicheol flinched subtly when I called his name. He looked up from his lunch with widened eyes but when he took a good look at me his gaze darkened.

He set down his lunch box on his desk. "I know who you are."

That statement didn't surprise me. I was the topic of many conversations between nosy students, but still, no one really knew exactly what was so interesting about me.

Jicheol lowered his head and side-eyed his lunch, as if he wanted to nod but didn't quite have the heart to do it. I could tell that he expected me to be taken aback by what he said, and he seemed to know that too because when he turned back at me his eyes looked like they were replaced with stones.

The sudden change in the boy's attitude unsettled me in a way I knew meant my life would make a huge turn after what he was about to say.

"You have something that normal humans don't." I was about to say that there were a lot of people who knew that too and what he said didn't concern me at all. But then he added, "You have a supernatural power."

Keeping a neutral face was never so hard. There was no point in pretending he was lying anyway because he was speaking the truth. There were many rumors and speculations about me, but no one would say that because no one believed superpowers to be a real thing that existed among us. Unless he knew about it already.

"Who are you?" I would bring this somewhere with fewer people, but I was not in a state calm enough to do that in a way that didn't include dragging him outside by the collar of his uniform shirt.

"I'm who everyone says I am."

I didn't bother to hide my astonishment any further. What Dohyun said was real - I was talking to CrossGen's owner's son.

"What do you have to do with me and my family?" My jaw was aching from clenching it so tightly.

"All you have to know is that my father is after you, so you better leave this place before he finds you." Then he gave me a smile that couldn't be more patronizing. "Don't worry, I won't tell my dad about you, even though I would be in deep trouble if he finds out I'm protecting you."

I suppressed my anger before I could do anything to wipe that smile off his face right then. I needed to make sure I wasn't getting any more information out of him before I scared him away.

"Why is your father after me? Does he have something to do with the powers? Is that why?"

His relaxed composure said it all. He was pleased with himself for finally having some power over someone as an outcast. That made my blood boil, but violence wasn't the solution in these circumstances.

"What did your father do to me?" I asked again, enunciating each word clearly.

I must've pushed the right buttons because a shadow crossed his face. "It isn't my dad's fault. He's just cleaning up the mistakes his dad left behind." He realized what he said and broke eye contact.

He wasn't going to make the same mistake after that, so I turned around and left. All I needed to confirm was that my power was not an error made when I was born. Someone was looking for me, and probably Yunho-hyung too, hence the letters I found at home.

My aunt must've lied that our house was vacant. Maybe she bought the house under a different name. Whatever it was, I knew the secret wouldn't stay safe for long now that I was being hunted for real.

I bumped into Seonghyuk on the way back to my classroom.

"Are you okay? You look pale. Did you get scolded by the teacher?" I shrugged off his hand that was rubbing my shoulder.

"I'm okay, but I think I'm getting sick. I'm going home early." I forced a small smile and continued walking past him, ignoring his playful complaints about me leaving him alone for math class.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to make it extra clear, this is Jongho's memory from before and he is telling the story to Yunho and the others in the dorm room. So now they know what they have to look for as well!


	17. A Failed Attempt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hongjoong and Seonghwa visit CrossGen for the first time. Will things go well for them?

_June 4, 2018_

**Hongjoong**

Seonghwa and I met up at a local park that was situated mid-distance between our homes. We were barely acquaintances, so it was the least awkward rendezvous we could come up with.

It was an early morning of a weekday, so the park was quiet, safe for the chirping birds, and the only two benches in the small resting area were vacant. I arrived fifteen minutes earlier than the meetup time, so I knew I would be waiting for a while, yet despite knowing that I couldn't help myself to a seat.

My shirt stuck to my skin, my legs tingled when I wasn't moving them, and I had to constantly brush away my bangs that were suddenly very long and therefore constantly poking into my eyes. 

A black Hyundai drove up to the entrance less than five minutes later. I checked my watch again to make sure my internal timer wasn't just going crazy because of how nervous I was, but an abrupt car horn beep startled me and I instantly scrambled towards the passenger door. 

"Are you ready?" Seonghwa asked as I fastened my seat belt. It seemed like he didn't really care about my answer because he was stepping on the accelerator before I could shift into a more comfortable position. 

"As ready as anyone can be under these circumstances." I found myself gripping the edge of my seat when all Seonghwa did was nod. To me, he seemed at ease as if he had everything under control. I, on the other hand, still wasn't sure if I wanted to do this. 

This anxiety that spread all over my body reminded me of the time I was asked for an interview for my university application. All the way to the university I couldn't focus on anything except for the words I had prepared and the irrational but incredible desire to back out and give up. 

This was the same feeling. There wasn't much, but I tracked down clues starting from the newspaper article up to the new lab name -- I even had a companion -- and that was enough to make me feel prepared. 

Unfortunately, being prepared didn't make me ready in this case. I was so relieved Seonghwa called yesterday to delay our plans that I could no longer deny that I wasn't sure if I was set out to do this.

When we stopped in front of a red light, Seonghwa asked me whether I slept well last night. 

To that, I replied with a simple, "No."

I could feel Seonghwa's gaze on me, which made me feel self-conscious about my response. I hope it didn't came out too terse, but in reality, I _was_ trying very hard to avoid any sort of conversation. 

It wasn't only because it made me think of things I didn't want to face, but also because I, as a safety precaution, did something he wouldn't like and I was afraid I would give myself away if I kept talking. Knowing how to read minds was different from knowing how to hide my thoughts. 

The light turned green and Seonghwa didn't push it further.

I stared at the road through the windshield, trying not to think about the minutes we had left until we inevitably arrived at our destination. The more I tried not to, the more it filled up my mind. 

This was crazy. It finally crossed my mind what I was about to do and how absurd it was. I, with a person I had barely met and no one else, was going to confront a big corporation about what they did decades ago to our mothers.

As if having superpowers in this world itself wasn't crazy enough. It was only reasonable to freak out at a situation like this. Not drive with one hand and thrum fingers on the wheel like the person sitting next to me was. 

I glanced at Seonghwa for a split second. He would thank me for it later. I knew that inside, he was probably scared too, because he was human, albeit having a special ability. He was the one who was paranoid about our location being tracked. He couldn't possibly think we could do this with just the two of us. We needed help.

So I called the police.

The car ride turned bumpy towards the end as we drove into an off-road that led to a mountain. When the lab came into view I understood immediately that the road wasn't paved because there was no need. There was nothing else here, which meant only the employees would use the road. It was not worth the expensive pavement. 

I got out of the car after Seonghwa did. We walked across a barren stretch of land towards the white monster of a building. There were separate blocks, each at least twenty stories high. The design was clean-cut and modern, so the windows were identical and equally spaced apart, the connecting bridges were glass, and the logo was clearly visible on the sidewall - two blue-green letters against a white background.

Seonghwa strode straight up to the entrance without a hint of hesitation. I lagged behind, busy fighting with my conscience that wanted very much to be honest and just tell Seonghwa what I did. 

In the end, my conscience lost to my emotional self because the damage was done, and telling the truth now would not change anything. Might as well see if it actually worked out the way I hoped it would, even though it was just idealistic and wishful thinking on my part.

There was no one guarding the entrance. The sliding glass doors parted when we stepped within their sensor range and we walked inside without being disturbed. That alone unsettled me, but Seonghwa, either unfazed or trying to hide his true feelings, never even slowed down.

The lobby was spacious, furnished with sofas in a resting area, tall potted plants, vending machines, and notice boards. Nothing looked off to me, except maybe, for us. Everyone in the room was wearing long white robes, so we in civilian clothes attracted a lot of attention I didn't want. 

I shrunk under the stolen gazes directed at me, while my companion walked boldly up to a random staff member and asked where we could meet the CEO.

The unlucky man was hesitant to answer, but he took one look at Seonghwa and immediately changed his mind. I didn't even have to look to see the jet black eyes on Seonghwa's face, the same ones I was confronted with in the cafe. 

Without questioning the purpose of our visit, the man explained that we had to go to the top floor using one of the elevators. 

"We probably need an appointment," I blurted out without thinking as I hurried to match the pace of Seonghwa's long strides. 

"As if that matters now." His voice was icy. I felt his spite radiating off of him.

I fidgeted with my fingers throughout the whole elevator ride. We were probably ascending really quickly, but the twenty-second ride still felt too long. 

Barely waiting for the doors to open, Seonghwa squeezed his way through the gap. I followed him, half expecting to see police officers milling about. 

The long carpeted hallway was empty. There were a set of polished wooden double doors at the end of the hall. My steps got heavier the closer I got. 

Seonghwa didn't even stop. As soon as he could reach it, he grabbed the handle and pushed open the door.

We stepped right in the middle of a conversation. I scanned the room, standing with my back so close to the door I could feel my clothes grazing the wood. 

There were only two people in the room, one in a lab coat sitting on a black office chair, and one in a suit standing next to the desk. Neither was wearing a uniform, but I knew instantly that the standing man was police. 

The other one sat behind the desk -- his nameplate on the desk said _CEO Yun Jiyeong_ \-- looked at us, then up at the officer with an expectant expression on his face.

Seonghwa clearly didn't care who else was here as long as he could speak to the person in charge, because he walked up to the desk and asked, "What did you do to my mom?"

The CEO leaned back in his chair. "I'm sorry, I don't know who you are and what you're talking about." 

"You don't have to lie. I know what happened to _Innocreation_ , and what you're trying to do now." Yun Jiyeong looked at Seonghwa calmly with smiling eyes.

Seonghwa contined, unfazed. "I know what your father Yun Yeongcheol did." That put a shadow across the CEO's face. Even I was surprised, that Seonghwa remembered the small detail from my newspaper article. 

Before the CEO could say anything to rebuke, the officer raised a pacifying hand and turned to Seonghwa. "I think you've made a mistake."

"What would you know?" I watched Seonghwa shrug off the officer's hand that was on his shoulder. "Who even are you?" When Seonghwa raised his voice I knew I could no longer watch further. I rushed to him and tried to pull him away, calling his name softly, my voice not without guilt. 

"I'm with the police." The officer held up his identification.

I could feel Seonghwa tense up. I released the hold on his arm because I knew he would fling me off anyway. He gave me a death glare, layered with hurt from a betrayal, before turning back.

"Someone called the police to report a missing person. He claimed that the woman was held hostage here, but we searched the premises and found nothing of suspicion." I noted the patronizing tone and glanced furtively at Seonghwa. He was visibly fuming but he was holding it in.

"Who's 'we'? I only see one of you," said Seonghwa. 

"The others left," the officer replied. Considering we saw no other cars when we arrived, that answer was very suspicious, but that seemed to be the least of our worries. 

"We're not here to play around." Seonghwa stabbed a finger at the CEO, who was affronted at the motion. " _This_ man did something to my mother, to me, to us, and probably to many others. It all has something to do with _Innocreation_. The explosion was intended to cover up evidence. People will get killed because they _are_ evidence."

I saw Seonghwa's scrunched face and felt the desperation radiating from his words, but there was nothing I could do to reverse the damage.

Maybe things would've turned out differently if I hadn't called the police, but no one would know and the more important thing was nothing was going well now and no answers were being found, which was the reason for the big void in my heart. 

"So tell me," the officer said. "What _did_ Dr. Yun do?" 

Seonghwa opened his mouth but he could only stutter wordlessly. I knew what he was about to say and why he didn't say it. The officer wouldn't believe him, and with the police present the CEO would deny everything even if Seonghwa tried to say the truth.

That hurt the most because I should've known, and I did know. Only I was too impulsive to give it a serious thought, so I called the police anyway and now I've ruined everything.

Someone clapped their hands together. "I think we can all agree that this is all just a big misunderstanding." The police officer had a smile on his face.

The CEO stood up and looked at me with mocked sympathetic eyes, to which I returned with a stern glare.

Seonghwa surprised me again when he simply turned around and stormed past me, back towards the doors. Clueless under this predicament, I looked back and forth between Seonghwa and the older men for a few times before I finally thought to leave the room as well.

Outside, Seonghwa made a beeline straight to his car. He didn't look at me once as I cautiously took my seat. His hands were on his lap so I braced myself for a scolding.

It never came. Seonghwa started the engine and looped around the open land, back into the off-road.

He stopped abruptly in the middle of the road and parked his car to the side.

"Get out."

"Wait-" I didn't get to finish my sentence.

"Get out before I kick you out." Seonghwa's voice was louder this time. 

I didn't move. It was my fault and I admit it, but I wasn't going to leave until I get to at least apologize properly.

What I didn't want to admit was, I didn't want to be left alone again, with the mystery of my past forever a gray cloud hanging low over my life.

I was about to continue what I was saying when Seonghwa groaned. I turned and saw him grabbing fistful of hair in his hands, his shaking body folding up.

"What's happening? Are you okay?" I didn't realize how scared I was until I heard my trembling voice. I tried to think of what I should do, but I didn't even know what was happening. Maybe it was a panic attack, or maybe he had an illness I didn't know about. 

By the time I thought to call 119 for an ambulance, Seonghwa was back to normal. He ignored my questions and just frowned, staring blankly at me as if he was occupied with something and wasn't really registering my presence. He also talked to himself.

"It's private property and they are trespassing so I guess that makes it a crime. That's why I saw it." He nodded.

I urged him to talk to me, but I didn't dare touch him in case the same thing happened again.

"We're coming again tomorrow," he said suddenly, looking at me this time. 

"What?" 

"I had a vision just now." It took me a moment to understand him and when I did I widened my eyes. "The others are coming too. Tomorrow."

"The others?" I knew the answer already but I had to make sure I wasn't imagining things. 

"Others like us. They found out too. All of them."

I stared at Seonghwa, still not quite believing it. His black eyes stood out under the bright sun, looking solid and genuine. I let myself feel comforted by the good news, and the void in my heart closed up a bit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At least Hongjoong proved that police are of no help... :(
> 
> Anyway, Hongjoong and Seonghwa fails this time but they will try again soon (and the other members will finally get together!) so stick with me because there will be some action and conflict!


	18. A Coincidence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mingi and Wooyoung meet each other on bad terms and accidentally end up in CrossGen. Will they realize they need each other's help?

_June 4, 2018_

**Wooyoung**

The memories from yesterday were still fresh in my mind when I woke up. My dad started work very early as always, so the apartment was quiet. I was so used to this, having the house to myself every morning, that I wasn't sure if I could stand having another person with me as I completed my morning routine. 

I sat up in bed and right away the leather notebook came into view. I tossed it onto my desk absently yesterday and haven't touched it since. Trying to ignore it, I got out of bed and went to the bathroom to wash up. 

School was a thing I could care less for today, tomorrow, and probably all the days after, until I found the answers I needed.

My uncle's death was inconvenient because that meant one less person I could talk to. Thinking about that alone gave me a headache. 

What I needed was some fresh air to clear my head so I could look for clues in the notebook with an objective and rational mindset.

After a quick breakfast, I put on a tracksuit and trainers that were comfortable to walk in and stuffed all the essentials -- wallet, phone, and spare home keys -- in my pockets. I hesitated before picking up the notebook too. Carrying it was like putting a burden on myself, but it would be a reminder that the problem wouldn't go away until I solved it. 

I deliberately went to a new street in order to get as far away from my university as possible. This part of the city was unfamiliar to me, but a city was a city, no matter which part of it I was in. 

Tall buildings, busy traffic, huge hanging neon signs, dirty sidewalks, and people. A lot of people. Too many.

For a while I just walked around aimlessly, trying hard - but not too hard that I consciously know what I was trying to make my body do - to forget about the notebook, and my uncle, and my mother, and the weird experiments...

I started when someone clipped my shoulder. The man in the business suit was too absorbed in a phone call to notice what he did, leaving me alone with a stinging sensation on my right side.

That distraction turned out to be very important. 

I had to look behind me to see the man who bumped into me, so when I turned back I found an even bigger distraction. A concentrated group of people was standing on the other side of the road, causing a commotion of some sort.

And above them, a person was falling through the sky. 

The person would hit the ground at any moment. I had barely finished that thought when I felt a whoosh of air and suddenly I was on the other side, trying to get my bearings. 

My body must've acted out of reflex and teleported me to the opposite street, but since the crowd was obscuring my vision, I went off a little bit and appeared to the side of the crowd. 

As my ribs rattled against my pounding heart, I wade through the bystanders until I could get a good view. I was expecting a bloody scene, yet I soon realized that I jumped to the wrong conclusion.

There were two men in the circle of people, and neither of them was hurt. One of them was holding the other.

I couldn't comprehend the scene in front of me, because it occurred to me now that teleporting here in time was one thing, and catching the falling man was another. I definitely couldn't do that without breaking at least my arms, so how did the man kneeling in front of me do it?

"I saw him run over here. He was so fast." I heard someone gasp among the sea of people. I would've thought that the person was bluffing if I hadn't read my uncle's notebook. 

The lifesaver stood up and patted himself down as if catching falling, full-grown men was an every-day, perfunctory task.

If he really did run all the way here, then there could only be one explanation. He had superpowers too, which meant he was the second clue I found after the notebook.

I followed him into an alley and when we were deep into it, I got his attention. I hated wasting my time, and I wasn't in the mood for jokes, so I got straight to the point and told him I could teleport.

"I'm sorry, what?" He didn't understand me. 

I thought I had to be even more clear so I was about to point out his supernatural speed when he reached out and _pushed_ me.

"What do you think you're-" The words got stuck in my throat when I took a huge punch to the gut. I backed up, trying not to fall, as I hugged my abdomen and wheezed, relieved that no blood came out. 

The pain rushed to my brain and adrenaline set my whole body on fire. When I looked up I saw the man _walking_ away. But he wasn't going to go far. At my own will this time, I teleported right in front of him to block his path.

I felt a cool rush of satisfaction when I saw the shock on the stranger's face. When he was still distracted I grabbed his collar and pushed him against the wall, which bought me maybe a split of a second.

His confusion passed quickly. He grabbed onto my wrists and I almost screamed because I thought my bones were about to be crushed. The bastard seemed to know that too because he smirked.

"Go on, teleport away." The provoking statement rang in my ears. My wrists burned. I was losing grip on his collar.

I gritted my teeth. "So you know." He didn't answer. "I don't know what's your problem but I just want to talk." 

He scoffed but loosened my wrists, which I was thankful for because my hands were getting numb from not getting enough blood circulation. 

"I don't have a problem. You do. If you have a superpower you should know better than to trust a person you don't know. We're being hunted down, and anyone could be the hunter."

I was too angry to listen to what he said, even though he was probably right. "If hitting a person who just wants to talk to you isn't a problem then I don't know what is. You know who we are. Why can't we team up and find out what happened to us?"

"Because it's more complicated than that." I tried to shake my hands loose, but he reacted quickly and squeezed my wrists again. It came so suddenly this time that I winced. 

"What's so complicated about finding the person behind the experiments?" I shouted, letting pain and anger merge into one ball of nervous energy. "That person planned an explosion that could've killed my mom. Maybe yours too, I don't know! But it's clear we're on the same side, aren't we?"

I didn't even have time to regret what I said. He released my hands and pulled his arm back, ready to land a punch.

The fist was coming straight for my face so I raised my hand to block it and right as I felt the contact the familiar sensation of buzzing wind surrounded my body and before I knew it I was gone from the looming walls of the narrow alley and I found myself in a completely foreign place.

My body saved me from the attack, so I never felt more than a gentle touch on my hand. I heard a groan and looked down. My attacker was on the ground, holding his head. He came with me because I was touching him. Teleporting was hard the first time, even for me. 

I didn't know where I was, but I knew that trying to talk to this stranger was not going to work and would only be a waste of my time. Before he could get violent again, I turned around and walked away from him, looking around to see if I could use anything as a location marker. 

I grew more and more anxious as I surveyed the barren land. I could teleport back home, but my body had never taken me to an unfamiliar place before and I was scared that my power was somehow malfunctioning, if that was even possible. Ending up in an even secluded area was the last thing I wanted, so I kept walking.

The first and only thing I came across was a huge white building with the letters "CG" on the wall. Underneath it, I could just make out the word "CrossGen". Though it wasn't much, it was something. At least I could search it up on my phone and figure out where the nearest subway station was. 

"CrossGen?" The deep voice startled me more than I was willing to admit. I turned around and saw the same man, looking totally fine and ready to fight again. He recovered much more quickly than I wanted him to.

"Do you know this place?" It was childish, but I hoped his answer was no, so we'd both look stupid being lost.

"It's...it's..." 

Noticing the sudden change from a confident tone to an uncertain one, I turned to look at the man. He was frowning, and when he caught me staring he cleared his throat. 

"It's the new lab meant to replace _Innocreation_."

I widened my eyes when I heard the name. It stuck with me after staring at my uncle's notebook pages for hours last night, so I knew I wasn't just hearing things. And it made perfect sense for my body to bring me here - I was somehow connected to this place, subconsciously.

"So we can find the person who did the experiments here?" My curiosity made me overlook for a while that I was discussing with a person who tried to hit me just minutes ago. 

"Maybe. The owner of this lab is the son of the owner of _Innocreation_. He must want to get rid of us if he knows that we're evidence of what his father did."

It took me a second to realize he was actually giving useful information. "So all of a sudden you trust me now? What happened to 'knowing better'? You told me all that but we don't even know each other's names."

"Well...uh..." 

I tried not to snicker at his flustered expression. It was nice to have the upper hand this time. 

"You looked genuinely clueless when you saw this building, so it's clear you don't work for them," he explained.

"I could be bluff-" He grabbed me suddenly and pulled me deeper into the woods at the edge of the land. I shot him a death glare and shrugged him off. He ignored that and stabbed an urgent finger at something behind me.

I turned my body and found the thing we were trying to hide from. There were two people walking out of the building, and they didn't look very happy from the way the taller man stormed towards a parked car.

"They're one of us."

I knew there were more like us -- eight according to my uncle's notes -- but that didn't mean I could tell who had superpowers just by looking at them walk.

"How can you be so sure?"

Instead of answering, he nodded in the direction of the two people. "They're leaving. I'm following them."

"What? Why?" I said, following my intuition to follow him. "And how can you chase a car?" I struggled to match his pace, which reminded me of what superpower he had. "Wait! Don't leave me alone! You're much faster than me!"

"You can teleport!" By now he was running, and I was falling miserably behind. "Just keep sight of the car and teleport a short distance behind it!"

I huffed in indignation, but inside I felt ashamed for not knowing what I could do with my powers. I still had no idea how chasing a car would help us, other than the fact that I could find my way out of this secluded place and return to the city. 

Reluctantly, I took a stranger's suggestion and walked out of the trees onto an off-road, where I saw the car going slowly downhill. After teleporting a few times, I started to see more cars and buildings. 

The car was on a straight road now, so I could see it shrinking quickly the farther it went, just like the man next to it that was actually crazy enough to run after a car.

I took a deep breath and was about to teleport again when I saw the car pull over. The man who was with me slowed down too, and he passed the car to sit at a nearby bus stop. Feeling slightly disorientated from overusing my powers, I decided to just walk.

By the time I arrived at the bus stop, the stranger was already doing another strange thing. His elbows were on his thighs and he was leaning forward with his head on his hands. His eyes were closed.

"Are you-" He shushed me harshly before I could go further.

Annoyed, I rolled my eyes and looked up to the sky, crossing my arms. 

"I'm listening to what they're saying," he explained quietly. I almost hit him when I saw the way he was glancing up at me from the weird posture he was in, but what he said surprised me enough to suppress my irritation. 

"You can _hear_ them?" I whispered, stretching my mouth wide with every word.

He pointed to his ears. "Enhanced senses."

The smug grin on his face gave me another surge of anger. To calm down, I reminded myself that this might end up giving me the clues that I was searching for. So I sat down next to the man.

"I'm Wooyoung, by the way," I said, just to see whether he was as good as he claimed. That was why I immediately regretted it when he answered with his own name, Mingi. 

I could tell he multi-tasked and was still focusing on the conversation meters away inside the car, which made me feel even worse about myself.

I sat in an embarrassed silence until Mingi leaned back.

"They said they're going back tomorrow," Mingi said even before I asked. 

"Why?"

"One of them said that the others are going too."

"Really? All of us, on the same day?"

Mingi shrugged. "One of the people in the car seems to be able to see the future, so I would believe him."

The reality of the situation weighed down on me. I put my hands on the edge of the cold metal bench and squeezed the edge. "Does that mean we're going too?"

"You _were_ teleported there for a reason, right?"

He was right. Ignoring this would mean missing out on a chance. A chill traveled down my spine as I recalled the last page of the notebook. The long final stroke that went astray. "We should find the truth before all the evidence gets destroyed."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mingi and Wooyoung meet Hongjoong and Seonghwa, and thanks to Mingi they know they have to return to CrossGen again the next day. So stay tuned to see how all members meet up in this mysterious lab where everything started!


	19. Chapter 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yunho, Jongho, San, and Yeosang set off to CrossGen as well, and there they meet the rest of their "team" by coincidence.

_June 4-5, 2018_

**Yunho**

Jongho finished his explanation about the rumor he heard at school. I gaped at him, unable to believe that he confronted someone who was involved in the weird experiments that changed our lives forever.

"Were you out of your mind? He could've told his father about what you did! We can still run away and hide if you just ignored the rumors, but you alerted them and now they're definitely looking for us!" 

I immediately softened when I saw the hurt on Jongho's face. "I'm sorry...I just-I don't think we should take part in any of this."

Jongho opened his mouth, but San beat him to it. "Yunho! We are already part of this. Have you forgotten what Yeosang told us?" He pointed at the syringe in Yeosang's hands, the one that still held the blue antidote in it. 

I hadn't forgotten. The talk with Yeosang on the rooftop was still fresh in my mind, and when he explained it once again to San, I confirmed with myself what I didn't want to believe the first time I heard it, so I knew that everything was in the present tense now. The _if_ s and _will_ s had turned to _are_ s and if I didn't do anything about those, they would become _were_ s. 

"I know," I said quietly, despair making it hard to speak. "But do we _have_ to fight?" My eyes couldn't stay in one place. They moved from Jongho, to San, and finally to my desk, where everything I needed for university was. 

San and Yeosang were still looking at me expectantly, but Jongho knew exactly what I meant and avoided my gaze. When he spoke, his voice was deep. 

"What do you plan to do if you don't fight? Run away again? Like you did after our aunt picked us up from the orphanage? After we started going to school like everyone else? After life started to settle down?"

I shifted to the edge of the bed so I get lean closer to Jongho, who was sitting on my desk chair. "Jongho, you know I was just trying to give us a normal-" 

"No!" 

I recoiled at the shout. Yeosang and San glanced around furtively, probably worried about other residents that could've heard us. 

Jongho turned to look at me, his eyes wide and intense. "Maybe you were trying to, but nothing was normal. At least for me. Maybe you can forget that your parents died and we were the survivors. But I can't. I don't even remember what happened in the car but the nightmares I have once in a while are enough to paint a picture for me, and that's more than enough to make my life less than normal."

Jongho's voice softened towards the end and his pupils darted back and forth between me and his hands on his laps. An invisible hand wrapped around my heart and squeezed. It was my turn to say something as the big brother, yet all I could think of was how to ease out of this situation so the two bystanders next to us wouldn't feel any more uncomfortable.

"Maybe we should all get some rest. It's late." San was just trying to help me, but when I felt my heart tighten again I knew that it would be irresponsible to escape. Besides, I wouldn't be able to get any rest if I didn't finish what I started. 

"Wait, no," I blurted, having nothing planned as to what I should say next. I stared at Jongho and waited until he returned eye contact. His lips were pressed into a tight line. "I knew how you felt. I knew because it was the same for me, but I was too scared to admit it. It's true that I like to flight before I fight. It just feels like the option with lower risk." 

I took a deep breath, almost choking on what I was about to say next. Jongho's eyes, moist and glistening, were repelling mine like magnets of the same pole, which couldn't be far away from the truth because I saw me in him more than a few times. Still, I stiffened my neck and forced myself to keep looking. 

"My first instinct is to run again this time because I don't want to lose another part of my family. You're all I have left. I love mom and dad a lot and I want to find out what happened that night but...I'd rather keep that a mystery than to relive the nightmare with you."

I was blabbering towards the end, trying to push the words out before I forgot them, or worse, decided to swallow them back because I lacked the courage to say them. 

There was a long silence after that where I hung at the edge of the bed, shrinking smaller and smaller under the weight of my self-doubt. 

That weight was finally lifted when I was pulled into a hug. I could see him standing up but I would've been able to tell from the shape of his body in my arms. 

Jongho said into my shoulder. "I always thought that our powers saved us during the car crash so we could use our powers again to obtain justice for mom and dad." 

I nodded, blinking to get rid of the stinging sensation. 

We stood there, hugging in the middle of the tiny dorm room until we felt awkward under the gaze of two other people and pulled apart.

"Not to ruin the mood here but if you're done with the bromance can we please move on to the important stuff now? Yeosang must be uncomfortable." San made an act of crossing his arms, but I could see the smile tugging on his lips.

"I'm okay." It took me a moment to realize Yeosang had just spoken.

"Well, we know where to go now," said Jongho, sitting back down on the chair. "We have to find CrossGen and tell the owner that we know what happened."

My stomach lurched at that thought even though my mind had fully accepted the fact that it was time for action. Regardless of our powers, we were still prey walking straight into a trap. 

"Are we going to be safe?" 

I didn't realize I have wondered out loud until Yeosang answered my question.

"If you're talking about the person who followed me this afternoon, it's not a big problem. He was probably there just to scare me, or to find out where I live. If they really wanted us dead, we wouldn't be here right now."

San nodded. "I guess worse could've happened when I ran after my mom..." He gasped mid-sentence. "That reminded me! My mom tried to tell me something before..." When San trailed off, I stretched out a hand to pat his thigh. "Well, she drew two letters on my palm. C and G."

"They must stand for CrossGen," deduced Yeosang immediately.

A soft creak directed my attention to Jongho. He was shifting in his seat. "What's wrong?" Jongho jerked his head towards me when I asked, which only confirmed my suspicion that he was hiding something else.

"Well," he began. I gave him a small smile so he knew he was doing the right thing. "I saw a lot of letters from CrossGen that were all for aunt Siyeon. They all had the same logo on it, a simple C and G." 

"Will she be okay then?" I closed one hand into a fist and wrap it with my other. 

"There were so many letters, I think they started a while ago. Nothing has happened yet, so I think aunt Siyeon has it under control." Jongho bit the inside of his cheek, which meant he wasn't so sure of what he just said, but I let myself be reassured, even if it was just a little.

A sudden slapping sound focused all of our attention on San, who hammered a fist on his flattened palm. "We should go tomorrow morning." 

I was so shocked I couldn't talk for a moment. "To-tomorrow?" I didn't have to look at the clock behind me to know that it was already past midnight, so technically it was already tomorrow.

"It's the only way to prevent any more incidents." Yeosang's point set a grim mood for this conversation. "We're not the only ones who know about the experiments. If CrossGen can't find us, they'll find the others first. Until we show up."

I thought about my aunt, San's father, and Yeosang's family. Losing a loved one was a kind of excruciating pain and grief that you couldn't experience anywhere else -- I knew that, and now San knew too.

"I understand." I turned to San. "But are you going to be okay? I mean, with what happened to your mother...does your father know yet? Don't you want to have some time to adjust?"

A weak smile formed on San's lips as he leaned back with his hands on his bed and stared up at the ceiling. When he looked back at us, his eyes were wet with tears. "In that case, it might take me my whole life to adjust. All I want to do now is to get revenge. The good kind."

Hearing that gave me a surge of heartening motivation. Instead of empathizing or saying comforting words that would only provide a temporary reprieve, I simply said, "Okay."

After a brief discussion with Jongho, I agreed to let him return home so he could look after our aunt.

"Promise you'll stay safe on the way back," I said, squeezing his hand outside my dorm room.

Jongho pulled his hand away and gave me an exaggerated sigh. "Okay okay! I get it, hyung. It's not far from here anyway. I'll text you as soon as I return."

With one final smile, I sent him away. The door opened behind me to reveal Yeosang, who was returning to his own room upstairs.

"Goodnight," I said as he walked past me.

He stopped short. "I'm not sure about that. I don't think I'll have a good night. But goodnight to you too." Then he was on his way again.

I cocked my head at the weird behavior, and then a wave of exhaustion swept over me and pushed me back into the room, straight to my bed. San was already curled into a ball under his covers. Instead of lying down I sat against the wall with my pillow as a cushion and waited for Jongho's text.

My phone vibrated at 00:35.

**_Tiny Apple  
_ ** _I'm home. Aunt Siyeon is still sleeping._

I sent a quick reply, glad that our aunt wasn't a night owl and Jongho wasn't caught sneaking out earlier tonight. 

After a fitful night full of tossing and turning and shuffling bed sheets, I woke up to the sun's blinding rays. San was sitting at his desk, talking into his phone with a hushed voice.

"Yes dad, I'll be fine...there's an important workshop...I'll be back as soon as possible. We'll plan the funeral together, I promise." San hunched his shoulders and dipped his head. When he spoke again his voice was tight and the words faded towards the end. "You too, dad. Bye."

I pushed myself up, letting the bedsheets slide off my body. At the corner of my eye I saw San lifting his arm to wipe his face before turning to me. "You're awake? Good morning."

I rubbed my eyes and yawned. "Good morning. You're up earlier than usual."

San stood up suddenly and took my arm to drag me towards the washroom. "Come on, you have to wash up. We have to go soon."

My shoulders sank, but I didn't let the distress show on my face. Since I've decided to do this, I might as well do it the best I can. "Alright. I'll be done in five."

It was only eight in the morning when I sat in San's car with Jongho and Yeosang, and only a mere thirty minutes later when we arrived at our destination.

My whole body was tense throughout the ride, and though the discomfort should've made the trip seem longer than it was, I still felt like time was passing way too quickly for me to catch up.

The drumming of my heart reminded me that I was nowhere near ready for any of this, and a tight knot in my stomach was the grim premonition that my life was going to turn upside down once again after today.

I was the last to get out of the car, and when I did step out I knew straight away that there was no turning back. Other than the white building that was clearly the lab we were after, there were a lot more things happening around it. 

"What should we do about those barricades?" San whispered. He stopped the car at the beginning of the off-road, afraid we might attract too much attention.

"They must be expecting us," Yeosang replied. I eyed the tall fences surrounding the premises. There were guards posting at regular intervals, and though all of them were wearing suits, I saw a bulk at their sides that could only be guns. 

I was about to ask what we should do when a rustling in the bushes next to us made my heart leap. 

All four of us snapped our heads towards the noise. I nudged Jongho to make sure it wasn't just him accidentally summoning a gust of wind. He shook his head at me like I was crazy, then pointed somewhere behind the dense greenery.

Two heads peeked out, and when they saw us they stood up. One had red hair and one had black hair. We stood there, scrutinizing the two strangers cautiously. By the looks of their glares, I guessed they were doing the same. 

Then the black-haired spoke. "Is that all of you? There should be two more." He talked in a business-like manner with no emotions attached, which didn't make him friendly or welcoming, but at least he didn't sound like a person who wanted to kill us. 

Still, I didn't dare lose sight of the two. Staring straight ahead, Jongho, Yeosang, and San seemed to have the same idea.

Jongho was the person who voiced our confusion. "I don't know what you're talking abo-"

A soft thump interrupted him mid-sentence. For a split second, we had a telepathic connection as we spun around simultaneously, where the sound originated from. 

Behind me were two other men who appeared out of nowhere. At least that was how it seemed like, because I didn't think I heard footsteps. I stumbled in shock, nearly bumping into San. 

One of the men was almost my height, which would be impressive under different circumstances. He was holding his head with one hand, and his other was held tightly by his shorter companion, who released it roughly when he saw us. 

"Did they teleport?" That voice wasn't familiar, so it must've belonged to the red-haired man.

I kept my eyes on the newcomers, still trying to take in the series of events taking place. The tall man was still holding his head, but a spark of recognition appeared on his face and he pointed past me at the two other strangers.

"Wait...I can't believe we're actually all here. Can you really see into the future?" The man's voice was deeper than I imagined, and that seemed like the only thing my brain could register right now.

Sandwiched by four people I've never seen before, an emptiness slowly expanded from inside me, and it was like flipping to a new blank page of my life and not knowing what to do because at that moment, I felt more lost than ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ATEEZ assemble...? 😂 Anyways, they are all together now and all they need to do is get to know each other. But trust doesn't come by easily!


	20. A Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hongjoong tries to unite the whole team, but gaining their trust isn't easy at all. They eventually end up with a decent plan. How will it go?

_June 5, 2018_

**Hongjoong**

Thanks to Seonghwa, I knew that all of us here shared the common goal to get past the guard forces and into _CrossGen_ , but that didn't change the fact that I was among six other people, most likely with powers I wasn't aware of and probably didn't want to be aware of. 

The unease between us was tangible. It was more than just the awkwardness when the teacher forced a bunch of students who didn't know each other into a group project - it was more like choosing partners in crime when you were still skeptical about putting trust in them.

I broke the silence first. If I had the determination to find Seonghwa from one ID name, then I had the determination to get to the end of that trail. "Are you all here because of what happened to Innocreation?"

No one answered, but I saw the sudden discomfort that crossed their faces, so I knew I got it right.

"I'm Hongjoong," I said, hoping everyone else would follow and introduce themselves. Seonghwa didn't seem to like my idea. I could feel him glaring at me from my left.

"Are you expecting us to give you our names too?" The tallest man among the group of four spoke. His gestures were hesitant, but he sounded certain of himself, his eyes steely. One of his companions whispered something to the tall man, and suddenly those eyes wavered.

I directed my attention towards the shorter man who whispered. "I didn't want to give you my name either." 

I caught that man staring at me when the group of four first spotted us. His blank gaze lingered on me for seconds before he blinked and moved on to Seonghwa, and finally doing the same for the two other people behind him. It definitely had something to do with his powers, and it made me nervous even though nothing was happening yet.

"You were looking at us one by one," I continued, trying to hide my anxiety by sounding accusatory. "Who knows? Maybe you've already done something to us."

That man widened his eyes, his mouth slightly agape. I definitely offended him and I felt awful for that even though he was just a stranger. If we were all here because of _Innocreation_ then we were all hurt in some way or the other, and we didn't need to be hurt more.

Apologizing seemed a bit too much, but I was too ashamed to say anything else.

"Okay. I'll explain. Someone has to be honest first or we'll be here doubting each other until who knows when." The spotlight left me immediately. 

I listened in awe as that man explained how he was looking at each of our most important memories, and therefore knew that we were all somehow connected to _CrossGen_. 

"If you don't believe me, I can tell you what memories I saw." He didn't specify who, but he was glaring at me so it was clear he was taking revenge for what I said. 

"T-that won't be necessary." The idea that someone else just saw part of my past unsettled me greatly, and the fact that even I might not know what that memory was gave me the chills.

Then, satisfied with my reaction, he said, "I'm San, by the way."

The invisible fog that was a barrier between us seemed to fade a bit after that, and everyone else, though reluctantly, shared their names. 

The tall man who questioned me just now was Yunho, and with him was his brother Jongho and his friend Yeosang. The two people who teleported here were Mingi and Wooyoung. 

Mingi, the taller one, babbled carelessly and told us that they were here yesterday and saw us exiting the building. 

Finally, I looked at Seonghwa, who still had yet to introduce himself. He opened his mouth but what came out wasn't what I expected at all. 

"What do you all think this is? A party? Names mean nothing. Anyone can still be a spy who works for CrossGen secretly." He paused. "Well, since names don't matter anyway, I guess I'll tell you mine. It's Seonghwa."

"Then we'll go our separate ways." It was Jongho who spoke, irritation evident in his voice. "We all want to get in anyway. If someone's a traitor then we'll know then."

The bushes underneath our feet rustled as we shifted uncomfortably, sending ripples of tension through the already heavy atmosphere. 

I understood why Seonghwa was still suspicious, but I also believed that we had to be a team with the same goal, and more importantly with a plan, in order to succeed. If we didn't, we would fall apart before we could even break into the lab.

I took out the newspaper article my dad gave me. "This is what my mother left behind fifteen years ago. I came here because of that. If you have any other evidence that can prove what experiments Innocreation did, show us now." 

Right after I finished, I focused and reached out to their minds. My words were still fresh in their heads, so I could see their reactions clearly at the surface of their thoughts. 

As usual, the information flooded into my brain, only more chaotic this time because of the number of human minds I was trying to read at the same time. Still, I knew what to expect. Emotions always came first, and they were the most obvious even when the thoughts were blurry.

A few were excited, and a few were nervous, but all of them had one thing in common.

My mind went blank in an instant when I felt a tight grip on my arm. Seonghwa held me by the wrist and turned me so I was facing him. I struggled, slightly disorientated from being disturbed, as he dragged me farther away from the other people. 

"What are you doing?!" He hissed at me. "They'll kill you first if they know you have that evidence!"

I flung my arm away. "Trying to show people that I can be trusted," I said, not bothering to lower my voice. "Don't you want to find your mother? We can't be wasting time here when we're so close."

Those jet black eyes were unrelenting. I sighed. "I read their minds. They are all confused. Not just because they're figuring out whether to trust each other, but because they are lost and don't know what to do."

I could tell Seonghwa was caught off guard. I knew he felt the same, at least when he found out his mother went missing. 

"I don't think they would be confused if any one of them were a spy," I added.

"Hongjoong?" I spun around when I heard a new voice. It was Wooyoung, and behind him were the rest of them, now standing together in one big crowd. "I have something."

Wooyoung handed me a notebook, spread open to one of the pages. There were a lot of words on it, but a few stood out as if they were written using a new pen with fresh ink. 

Seonghwa helped me voice my thoughts. "That's my mother's name."

"So all of them are here," said Wooyoung, nodding. He continued, answering all my questions before I began asking. 

He told us about his late uncle, who was a journalist and the owner of the notebook. The notes were all about what _Innocreation_ did, but Wooyoung's uncle died before he could reveal all the incriminating evidence to the reporters.

I barely had time to digest the story when Yeosang stepped out with something blue in his hands. 

"It's an antidote. They were meant for our mothers, but my mom gave mine hers. She wanted me to use it so CrossGen won't bother me, but it's too late now." 

Yeosang also shared his theory about _Innocreation'_ s illegal experiments and their attempts to extirpate all evidence. Developing the antidote, destroying the lab, and eliminating witnesses were all preventive measures, but they never thought about us - the offsprings who inherited these powers.

The syringe looked too thick in Yeosang's hands, and the needle, glinting under the sunlight, wasn't wrapped in anything. The antidote wasn't poison, and I slipped quickly into Yeosang's mind to make sure, but the needle was still too close for comfort. I edged backward involuntarily.

Yunho spoke for the first time. "We can confront the CEO with these things." 

Seonghwa was silent next to me, probably still unhappy with how things played out. The other six pairs of eyes were trained on me. It took a moment for the pressure to weigh on me, and when it did, my palms began to sweat. 

Perhaps I shouldn't have talked to Seonghwa that loudly and let everyone hear what I did with my powers, but now the responsibility was on me and I had to use this as a chance to make decisions for the group.

The first thing I had to say was unfortunately very discouraging, so the words were stuck in my throat for a long second. They dislodged and came out as an abrupt burst. "We can't be too impulsive. These pieces of evidence aren't strong enough. What if he claims that the notebook is forged, and the antidote is fake?"

"But..." I sensed the disappointment in Wooyoung's voice as he trailed off. Even he couldn't refute that his uncle was long dead and therefore couldn't testify that the notebook belonged to him.

No one else said anything after that. A bird took off from its nest somewhere, making a tree shake. 

I tried to find a solution to the problem I raised, but my brain was affixed on the syringe and the notebook and how they couldn't really prove anything. The harder I tried to think of something, the more it seemed like I was reaching a dead end. Eventually, the desperation morphed into distress as I tried not to crack under the expectant gazes.

I took too long to make a decision. 

"I'm tired of waiting. Let's just go in straight away," said Yunho. 

I noticed that he was the most eager to go in, maybe because he had a powerful ability, but he never made any further action. There was something holding him back, and it wasn't the lack of evidence - he would've agreed with me if it was. 

If he wasn't going to do anything yet, I wanted to assert my standpoint until we all agreed with each other. "I understand that we're all anxious, but we have to stay calm-"

"Calm?" I stepped back in reflex when Yunho lunged towards me, but he was thwarted by his brother, who raised his arm as a barrier. "You wouldn't stay calm if you were in my situation!" 

"Hyung, please!" Jongho pleaded, but Yunho wasn't listening. His eyes were pinning me on the spot.

"I wanted none of this. I'd rather just continue on with my life ignoring everything about the past, but..." Yunho's temporary outburst ended quickly, the anger on his face slowly dissipating to reveal a hidden sorrow. He stopped fighting Jongho and leaned into the arm for support. 

"I can't ignore the fact that our parents' deaths were not an accident." I could barely make out Yunho's soft voice. Jongho was staring at his feet. "Forget it. You can focus on this investigation like a detective. People like you wouldn't understa-"

A surge of indignation dissolved my calculative composure in an instant. "I do," I blurted. Yunho blinked at me with tears in his eyes. "I understand because I lost both of my parents too."

Jongho looked up at that, but it was my turn to avoid eye contact. I brushed my bangs away in frustration as my heart throbbed with a fresh new wave of grief. I forced myself to talk before my emotions could manifest.

"But I don't want history to repeat. So we have to do this properly and end it properly. It's the only way to put our past behind us."

"How? You just said we don't have enough evidence," said Yunho, deflated and disheartened. 

I could feel the seconds ticking away as I wracked my brain for anything else we could use, but I was walking in circles and the stress formed a shackle around my ankle that only slowed me down. 

"I think I know what to do." The deep voice came from the back of the crowd. I recognized it as Mingi's right away. 

"What is it?" I asked, trying not to sound overly excited, though everyone else also straightened up from their hunched postures, eager to listen.

"You'll have to trust me." I frowned at Mingi's unreadable expression. "It'll only work once we get in," he added. 

Red flags waved frantically in my head, but my heart, now a mess from a mixture of grief, distress, and desperation, neglected those alarms without a second thought. 

"Alright," I decided. "We'll walk to the guards and tell them who we are."

That would sound like a ridiculous plan a few minutes ago, but when I began walking back towards the trail leading up the mountain, I could hear the sounds of pebbles skittering across the ground as the others followed behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! They finally decided to work together (at least for now). You'll start to see action next chapter (sorry it took so long TT)


	21. A Threat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The eight superhumans team up and break into CrossGen to find the owner, Yun Jiyeong. Things don't seem to go too well, until Mingi comes out and reveals his little secret.

_5th June, 2018_

**Mingi**

The idea that I was going on a rather important mission with six strangers and one companion, Wooyoung, who could barely pass as a friend, was ludicrous.

Only that idea wasn't just an idea anymore, because I was walking towards CrossGen with a group of people I barely knew and trusted, and I was the person who made this happen by announcing that I had a plan.

It wasn't a lie because I did have something, and that was my identity as _Innocreation_ 's owner's son, which made me an illegitimate brother of CrossGen's CEO. The problem was I didn't actually plan to reveal this secret because of obvious reasons.

Since I was at the back of the group, I could see everyone clearly. No one looked back; we were all headed to the same place, with the same goal in our minds. What would this alliance look like if they found out I was family with the person we were about to confront?

A tinge of irritation made me clench my hands into fists. This was why I worked alone. I wouldn't have to worry about telling people about me if I worked alone.

We trudged on slowly but quietly. The road seemed to stretch on forever, surrounded by nothing but trees and wild plants. A place that provided perfect hiding spots, and a place I could run into and never come out from...

I never got to finish that thought because the guards spotted us then. We were still a distance away, but a large group in the middle of a road was hard to miss.

One of the guards ordered us to stop moving, one hand on his earpiece, the other already on the holster at the side of his waist.

To my surprise, Hongjoong kept walking until he reached the yellow fence-like barriers. Only a few mirrored his courage; Wooyoung, San, and Yeosang slowed down significantly, their steps rigid.

"Who are you?" One of the guards said, speaking loudly so he could alert the other men surrounding the lab.

"Your boss knows," Hongjoong replied. "Let us in." 

I tensed up at the bold move. The guard was pissed, and even though I could react quickly, my agility didn't help me predict what my opponent was going to do.

The guard snorted at us and turned to the side as he communicated with the CEO. "What should we do?" He winced at whatever the answer was, then remembered our presence and feigned a serious expression as if he didn't just get scolded by his boss.

"Yes," he bowed incessantly at no one. As soon as the call ended, the apologetic face melted away. He signaled to his men with a meaningful gaze.

Scraping sounds of shoes against dirt and the clacking sounds of metal filled the air as they unholstered their pistols and pointed the weapons at us.

Everything turned real in an instant. Adrenaline rushed into my system, telling me it was either fight or flight now. My nerves buzzed with electricity, reminding me that I was dealing with guns, not just fists and knifes.

For the first time, I was frozen - not with fear, but with indecision. Could I dodge bullets? Was I fast enough?

A deafening bang broke me from my trance. I glanced around, heart pounding. Only a few of us were still standing - the others were scattered and bracing on the ground. Wooyoung - nowhere to be seen - must've teleported somewhere inside the woods. 

I sighed heavily. No one was hurt. It was just a warning shot.

The only guard who spoke smirked and tightened his grip on his gun. I grind my jaw when he aimed the nozzle straight at me. "I gave you your warning-"

My limbs tingled in anticipation of my reflex action, but they didn't move. 

Instead, I watched the guard stagger as the firearm flew out of his hands, shooting the bullet towards the sky. The other men aided him immediately, but they could barely raise their arms before their guns clattered to the ground as well.

I wasn't the only one who was confused. The people who were on the ground stood up, removing their hands from their heads cautiously. Wooyoung materialized right next to me, but I was too busy staring at Yunho to notice.

Yunho was the only person who never moved since the attack started. His shoulder was rising and dropping slightly. Jongho went to him, asking if he was okay.

Alert despite the confusion, I realized it was my chance to do something. I broke into a run, toppled over the yellow barriers, and grabbed the collar of the guard who tried to shoot me. I pulled him up to his feet. "Will you let us in now?"

My voice frightened the man. No one tried to stop me. I could feel my companions gather around.

"S-sir?" I squeezed the shirt collar as he listened through his earpiece.

Shortly after, he nodded, muttering a plea to let him go. Hongjoong and the others were already running past us, towards the entrance. I gave one last stare at the shaking pupils, and then released my grip roughly.

"Thanks for that," Hongjoong said during our ride up the building.

There was a long pause as Yunho realized he was the topic of the conversation. "Oh-it...it wasn't exactly all me. It was my body's defense mechanism, mainly just automatic reflex."

"Still, that was pretty impressive," San said. "I've known you for years but I've never seen you use your powers to that extent."

The others added a few words of compliment, but I stuffed my hands inside my pockets and glanced furtively at Yunho. My powers required me to be close to my opponent, but he could attack from afar. I wouldn't even be able to run away.

The elevator stopped soundlessly and slid open its doors. Our footsteps were muffled by the carpet as we walked towards the CEO's office.

Hongjoong was the one who pushed open the door. He did it without hesitation, reminding me that he had been here just yesterday. We shuffled in together, the nervous ones stuck in the middle and forced to make tiny steps.

I tried to steady my racing heart as I stepped through the threshold. I doubt that the CEO knew my face or even my existence, but he would find out soon, if I wanted to keep my promise to the team. 

The CEO stood up in surprise as we entered the office. "Who-" He narrowed his eyes at us and looked to the side with a scoff, muttering something about his useless guards. When he turned back to us his eyes went straight past me. 

"Do you think I'll be scared just because you brought your friends?" I read the nameplate on the desk. The name _Yun Jiyeong_ would never leave my mind from now on. "I told you everything I needed to say yesterday."

I stared at Jiyeong, my mind subconsciously comparing me to him. Although he had light brown pupils as I did, his eyes were big and round, making them the most striking facial feature. His hair was a dark chestnut brown, a bit longer than mine so they fell over his forehead to form a curtain bang. He was of average height and the long lab coat made me look stubby, but the curves at his sleeves accentuated his toned body. 

We must've taken mostly after our mothers, which could explain why we looked so different. It bothered me that I cared so much, but I felt slightly relieved that I didn't take after my birth father.

At the corner of my eye I caught Yunho making a move. "You-" 

"No, I don't think so," Seonghwa interrupted. Ears red, Yunho bit back the words he was going to say. "It's not only my mother this time. It's all of ours."

The bitterness those words brought made me feel heavy.

Next to me, Wooyoung opened his uncle's notebook. I expected him to throw the notebook or walk to the desk, but he did neither. I blinked and suddenly he was centimeters away from Jiyeong, pushing the notebook against his chest before teleporting back. 

Wooyoung did a great job of terrifying the man. Those big eyes trembled as he kept blinking, the notebook barely hanging on between his week fingers. As Jiyeong read the pages, Yeosang placed the antidote on the desk with a loud thump.

"We're giving you a chance to say the truth right now." Hongjoong had his phone out to record everything, but those technicalities didn't matter much to me. All I wanted then was for Jiyeong to stop acting ignorant and explain what our father did to my mother. 

Starting from that moment, the thought of the heartless CEO being my illegitimate brother and that we shared the same blood disgusted me.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he insisted. 

The feigned innocence in those round eyes ignited the first sparks of rage inside me. 

Yunho, Wooyoung, and Hongjoong cried out at the same time. I recognized in their voices the kind of frustration you had when you wanted to be heard, and that turned the sparks into the first signs of a flame. 

In the end, it was Yeosang who talked about the antidote. I watched the confusion on Jiyeong's face turn to disbelief and finally to pure anger. A sharp smack echoed in the room when he slammed the notebook on his desk.

"Is this some kind of sick prank? You better bring this absurdity out of my office before I call the police. I don't want to have to send more men after you." As he placed a threatening hand on the office phone the final bit of self-control inside me burned to ashes, making way for a fire to rekindle.

"Are you just playing dumb or do you really not know?" I strode towards the desk, my veins almost bursting with the pressure of the rushing blood inside. Jiyeong tried to edge away but I extended my arm and snatched a lapel of his lab coat, pulling him towards me. 

Only the desk stood between us. I could pull him over easily, but our faces were already inches away. The soft scraping sounds of Jiyeong pushing his shoes against the ground to break free and his meagre attempts to dislodge my fingers from my grasp filled me with a thrilling satisfaction. Everything else around me was a blur. It was only me and him in this room.

I tightened my grip and stared into the shaking pupils. It was like staring at my own eyes. He spoke first, trying to cover his trembling voice with a stern tone. "Do you even know what you're doing?" 

"I know and I'm disappointed I can't do more," I whispered harshly. My other hand was itching to punch face, and the only reason I didn't was I didn't think the sick of a person in front of me deserved even my hatred. 

"What are you-"

Exasperation pushed me to the limit. Without another thought, I spat out, "I'm Yun Yeongcheol's other son goddammit!" 

My voice resonated in the air for a second before fading away. The silence that followed drained the adrenaline out of me, causing my fingers to relax and uncurl. The world came back to me in a cascade of stimuli that heightened my senses, in particular the stares at the back of my head.

"You are who?" I froze at Hongjoong's question. "Did you just say Yun Yeongcheol...Innocreation's owner? His...his dad?" 

I glared at Jiyeong so I could delay answering. "If you don't want me to tell everyone the ugly family background of CrossGen's owner, you better admit everything you and your father did."

I heard a commotion behind me but ignored it, waiting for Jiyeong to respond to my threat. Before he could, someone grasped my arm and spun me around forcefully. 

I flung my arm halfheartedly and frowned when I couldn't break free - there weren't a lot of people who were stronger than me. 

Jongho was standing right in front of me, his gaze intense with contempt. I had to shake my arm harder to take my hand back.

Jongho jerked his head towards Jiyeong. "Does that mean you and that bastard are brothers?" I broke off the eye contact as he stepped away from me. "Why aren't you answering? You're...you're not working with them, are you? Answer me!"

"Jongho, stop," someone said. My mind was in too much of a mess to tell who.

"So this is what you meant when you said you knew what to do?" Hongjoong stepped right in front of me. 

I wanted to nod, but the sound of shattering glass made me snap my head to the right. Jiyeong was on the ground at the side of his desk, the pieces of a vase and a few withering flowers scattered around him. He must've tried to escape.

Yunho slowly lowered his outstretched hand as Jongho held the groaning man in place. 

Jongho looked at everyone but me as he asked, "What should we do now?"

I pressed my lips together, half expecting someone to suggest seizing me so I could be interrogated.

Instead, Hongjoong handed me his phone, the screen displaying contact details of a news broadcasting station. "Call them and tell them CrossGen's owner has an illegitimate brother."

I was too surprised to say anything, but I ended up not having to.

"No! I mean, wait!" Jiyeong cried, "My father will kill me if you do. Please don't tell them." Jongho twisted his arm further, eliciting another scream from the man. "Okay! I admit it! I know who you are, and I know what happened, but I swear I'm just helping my father keep this a secret. I will tell you where he is now. I'm supposed to tell him if you showed up anyway. You can ask him anything."

No one said anything. Hongjoong placed a hand on the side of my arm and patted twice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some members are unhappy about Mingi's identity as Jiyeong's illegitimate brother :( At the same time, it managed to threaten Jiyeong. Progress is finally made...but how much?


	22. A Deal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ateez meets Yun Yeongcheol, the owner of Innocreation and the person who started it all. How will the negotiation go? Will they get their mothers back?

_June 5, 2018_

**San**

"I can't believe Mingi kept that from us all along." Even as I spoke to Yunho and Jongho, I made sure to keep an eye on Mingi. He was all the way at the front, holding CrossGen's CEO captive and leading the way to the secret bunker where the CEO's father - _Innocreation_ 's former owner - was hidden.

"He better not betray us," Jongho said, his voice filled with a type of malice that implied the unfinished thought. I knew what he was thinking because I was thinking of something along the same lines. _If he does, we'll not go easy on him._

Our footsteps resounded in the empty corridors. The lack of decoration on the plain grey walls and the scant ventilation in this enclosed space was making me feel drowsy, but I tried to remain vigilant in the enemy's territory. 

Despite my efforts, the map I conjured up in my head as we descended from the CEO's office and winded our way through the labyrinth of identical hallways was starting to get blurry.

"But he doesn't look like he's doing anything," Yunho said. "He looked like he hates the CEO."

I wagged a finger at Yunho for being so naive. "He could be tricking us."

Yunho pushed my hand away. "What about others, then? Things happened so quickly we don't even know everyone's powers yet. All of us are equally suspicious, but it's a compromise we made because we don't have time to was-"

Yunho stopped because we were entering yet another elevator. Inside, I squeezed myself between Wooyoung and Yunho to see the CEO. Mingi asked which button to press but the man insisted that he had to do it himself. Reluctantly, Mingi released one of the CEO's hands that were held behind his back.

I stared in wonder as the CEO waved his hand somewhere next to the row of buttons, activating some sort of panel that slid open to reveal a hidden button. As soon as the button was pressed, Mingi took the hand back.

There was no space to move, so I rolled my eyes to my right and saw Yunho staring at his shoes, seemingly at ease with Mingi doing the important task of looking after the CEO. 

After a short ride, we were led into another hallway with long LED lights above our heads, casting soft yellow circles on the floor every few strides. As I adjusted to the dim tunnel-like place, a cold draft from behind made me shiver.

"What is this place?" I muttered to no one in particular.

"A secret bunker." The unfamiliar voice had to belong to the CEO. My voice must've traveled easily in this open area.

The tunnel eventually opened up into a big room with better lighting. The first thing that caught my eye was the bed directly facing the opening of the tunnel and the medical equipment next to it. 

On the bed was an old man who looked like he was half a step away from death's door, rather than a former CEO. The thin layer of hair combed back on his head was light gray, forming a contrast with the brown eyes. His forehead was covered with wrinkles, while his cheeks sagged like a hangar with too many clothes on it. Overall, his face looked like a light bulb that ran out of electricity and couldn't shine anymore.

The old man tried to sit up when he saw us, but his actions were clumsy and he could barely lift his body. I shifted my gaze to Mingi again. His head was pointed at the bed and the grip on our captive's hands was loosening.

The CEO broke free and rushed to help his father sit up. No one went to get the CEO back, so I guess we all agreed that he wasn't going to run away. 

Hongjoong stepped forward. "Yun Yeongcheol, am I right?" 

"Who are you?" The old man replied.

"I'm Lee Sunghyun's son." Mingi's answer caught everyone off guard, including the old man.

It took me a moment to put the information together; Lee Sunghyun must be Mingi's mother.

Yeongcheol widened his eyes and pointed a shaky finger at Mingi. "You-What are you doing here? I don't want to see you. Get out of my face!"

Knowing what Mingi's temper was like, I squinted my eyes when Mingi stormed over to the bed, but he didn't touch his birth father. 

"Stop kidding around. You know what I'm doing here. You know what you did to my mom. To your _wife._ " Mingi jerked his head towards us. "And their mothers."

The memories of that night when I knelt next to my dying mother came back to me as fresh images in my mind, but also as a knife that pierced through my flesh and stabbed right at my heart. All at once, the grief, sorrow, and anguish I was suppressing throughout this mission welled up in my lungs and surged my throat.

I couldn't stop the outrage. "You killed my mother you heartless monster!" My outcry muffled my heavy footsteps as I walked towards the bed. I reached out my arm, wanting to do something in return for what he did to my mother, but Mingi grabbed me by the shoulders and pushed me away.

I thrashed in his arms but the more I moved the more painful my shoulders got, so I gave up with a final desperate shout. 

Seonghwa voiced out the things I wasn't able to say due to the overwhelming fury inside me.

"My mother went missing three days ago. Our mothers are either dead or missing. We know you're the murderer but all we want to know now is where you hid the others. We know the experiments you did on them fifteen years ago so don't try to deny it." 

The notebook and the antidote were displayed again, but Yeongcheol kept a poker face, seemingly unfazed. 

"Those won't prove anything because I didn't do anything like killing women," the man croaked. 

The CEO standing next to the bed smirked. Fighting back the urge to punch him in the face made me heat up.

"Do you want me to tell the world what kind of father you were? All it takes is one rumor to ruin your son's company." Mingi's threat still held the same effect on the CEO, but his father snorted and leaned back on the pillow.

"Do you think I'll let you ruin it that easily? Rumors are just rumors. People know who we are, but you're just a nobody. No one will believe you."

I gritted my teeth as the air in the room grew tight with tension.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that. We might not have irrefutable evidence yet, but we have evidence. Enough to instigate an investigation." Yeosang's voice was composed as if he had planned the speech all along. I caught Yeongcheol shifting on the bed, and silently cheered on Yeosang for wearing away the man's confidence.

"You were expecting us to come," Yeosang continued. "So you could kill us, right? We're the best proof of what experiments you did. Aren't you scared?" He looked around the room and I followed, seeing for the first time the filing cabinets, the computers on a desk, and the sealed cardboard boxes stacked on the floor. Mounds of information.

Yeosang turned back to Yeongcheol. "I wonder what the police would find if they searched this secret bunker. I'm guessing it's built illegally."

"Well-the police..." A series of coughs interrupted the old man, but it didn't change the fact that he was stuttering. 

"We'll call them right now, and we'll watch you, so you can't bribe them." 

That dealt the final blow. Yeongcheol's indifferent gaze turned menacing in an instant. "You want to know where those women are?"

I frowned. That wasn't the only thing we wanted, but the mothers' lives are the priority, and we could come back and reveal all the dark secrets of _Innocreation_ and _CrossGen_ afterward.

Yeongcheol slumped in his sitting position, looking more comfortable than before. "I'll tell you _and_ I'll let you go if you take the antidote."

The air buzzed with agitation as the word "antidote" lingered in our eardrums. I could feel the heightened senses coming from everyone else, reflecting the anxiety bubbling in my stomach. 

"There's only one left," Hongjoong finally said.

" _You_ have one. _I_ have more." The old man gestured to his son.

My nerves tingled in every part of my body as I watched the CEO walk towards a black safe next to the desk. The knob clicked noisily before the door unlocked with a soft hiss. When he came back he was holding a suitcase, and inside were eight slots for exactly eight syringes.

The blue liquid contained by the syringes were identical to Yeosang's antidote.

I shared uneasy glances with Yunho, Jongho, and Yeosang. The others were also moving their heads around surreptitiously as if attempting to communicate by telepathic means.

Then, without settling on an agreement, Mingi spoke. "We'll take it, but you have to show us where our mothers are first."

My first instinct was to spin around so I could tell him that he was out of his mind, but all it took was one sliver of indecision to make me realize that I've always wanted to get rid of my power. The thing that made me different from others. My flaw.

"What the hell?!" Rage coated Jongho's words.

No one addressed him, or maybe they simply didn't know how to.

Seonghwa made a suggestion as if Jongho wasn't even there. "Four of us can take it first, then you show us where our mothers are and the rest of us will take the antidote."

Hongjoong was the only person who dared to refute. "Are you crazy?" He glanced towards the bed and dragged Seonghwa towards the tunnel.

Everyone followed to join in a private discussion, but I kept looking over their shoulders to keep an eye on the father and son. 

"Our powers are our only chance to prove what kind of experiments Yeongcheol did fifteen years ago. And you want to get rid of them?" Hongjoong continued, hissing angrily.

I took one look at Seonghwa's stony expression and knew that he wouldn't give in easily.

"I don't think we should get rid of our only advantage over those people," Yunho added. "They have guns."

Jongho nodded. "We couldn't have broken in here without our powers."

"I understand, but we can't discuss this all day. No one knows what will happen to our mothers," Seonghwa argued. I looked at him but diverted my eyes again when I met his unrelenting gaze.

"We should vote on this," Yeosang suggested. It sounded like a good idea, except I didn't know which side I would take. 

"Vote? _Vote?_ " I flinched at Mingi's sudden outburst and covered my mouth with my hand when he grabbed Yeosang's collar with one swift movement. Paranoia made me look towards the bed again. The CEOs - one former and one current - were just staring at us. That made me so uneasy I turned away.

Jongho and Yunho were trying to loosen Mingi's grip on Yeosang, while Hongjoong and Wooyoung attempted to push Mingi away. 

Despite the resistance, Mingi didn't even budge. "How can you be so calm when human lives are at stake? How would you understand how desperate I feel? You're only so calm because your mother is already dead!"

My hand slipped off from my mouth as my mind went blank except for those few words. _Because your mother is already dead._ Fresh tears burned at the back of my eyes.

"What did you say?" Jongho asked quietly, turning to face Mingi directly. "What...did you say?"

Yunho stared at the floor, trying to hide his emotions. As a person who had known him for years, I knew Yunho had to be hurt deeply if he was that silent. I thought Hongjoong was going to settle things like he did before we broke into the lab, but he seemed to have accepted that we couldn't be on the same page anymore.

Mingi didn't answer Jongho. I could almost see the tense atmosphere crack apart when Jongho lost his temper and swung a fist right at Mingi's face. Mingi dodged it almost too easily and returned a punch, which missed Jongho's face but landed on the shoulder. 

The small quarrel turned into utter chaos as Jongho groaned and regained balance to launch another attack. Yeosang was caught in the middle of Jongho and Mingi's fistfight, and the rest of the group split into half to pull the two apart. Everyone was shouting over each other, the voices creating layering echoes in the corridor.

My heart was pounding, but all I could do was stare at the scene in shock and bite my lip in despair, knowing I didn't have the courage nor authority to stop the fight.

As much as I wanted to zone out and ride out the storm by pretending nothing was happening, I didn't let my mind slip away because I was the only person who hadn't talked yet. I had a chance to say the right thing and turn things around.

My vision went blurry from the tears, and I almost missed it. I almost missed the figure that sneaked up behind Yunho. It was Jiyeong, and he was raising his arm. I saw something in his hand. A syringe. The syringe with the antidote. My mind pieced these fragments of information together, and when I finally saw the needle pointed right at Yunho's neck my reflexes kicked in and I screamed. 

"Yunho!"

Everything around me melted away as my legs moved at full speed towards my friend. There was no time for my brain to register what happened as I felt myself collide with Yunho and I think I saw him fall onto the ground, but I couldn't be sure because all my senses zoned in on the sudden sting on the back of my neck and the chilling coolness that spread rapidly throughout my body.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What an ending to a chapter, right?! xp If you read "Resolving Conflict" you would've realized that this is how San lost his powers 🥺 Anyway, things really start to get interesting from this point on so thank you for sticking around...enjoy the action ;)


	23. A Secret in a Secret

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> San lost his powers and Yeongcheol sends more men to get rid of the members...things are chaotic, but will they find the truth and get out of the bunker alive?

_June 5, 2018_

**Yeosang**

"It's because your mother is already dead!"

Usually, I wouldn't let other people's words bother me, but this was like picking at a scab that was so close to healing, or opening up a scar that had almost faded completely.

As a person who never let their emotions take control, the pain felt so foreign that I got stuck in one long faltering moment as my body figured out what to do.

I could see Mingi's huge hands around the collar of my shirt and hear the distant voices trying to pacify Mingi, but the experience was surreal, almost as if I wasn't inside my body when it happened.

When Jongho lashed out, his anger seemed to awaken the distress inside me. Distress that my scab was going to bleed again and my scar was going to stay for a few more months.

Emotions were just nerve signals, which meant it was something I could control. It was foolish to let emotions consume me when I could control my own thoughts. Regardless, I let that happen this time, and the result was instant regret.

I should've known that it was a bad idea to argue in front of our enemies, and it was stupid of me to let emotions override my rationality.

So I knew, the moment when Yunho fell onto the ground and when everyone stopped moving simultaneously, that we were in deep trouble.

Yunho caught San, who crumpled to the ground after the injection. Jongho and Mingi finally let go of each other, and Jongho bent down to help Yunho stand up. Behind them, Jiyeong threw the empty syringe away.

A stampede of heavy footsteps coming from the elevator shaft made me turn my head, which was already heavy with dread.

A dozen men in lab coats were rushing towards us at full speed. They halted a distance away, flashes of blue crossing my vision as they pulled out their weapons. 

"Get down!" Someone tackled me onto the ground, his voice drowned by the explosive shots and whirring bullets.

One landed next to my hand. It wasn't a normal bullet, but a round pellet with a hint of blue among the gold coating. The same blue as the antidote. I didn't want to find out how many of those were the equivalent to one dose, or worse, an actual bullet. 

My pulse quickened and sweat began to form on my palms, the survival instinct forcing all the useless thoughts out of my head so I could focus on keeping myself safe. At least now I could make logical decisions without the influence of emotions.

I pressed against the ground, holding my breath and praying I wouldn't be hit. I startled when I felt someone touch my back, but I had barely turned my head when a wave of dizziness overcame me and I had to squeeze my eyes shut to recollect myself. 

The first thing I noticed when I opened my eyes again was that I wasn't even in the tunnel anymore. I was in the deeper section of the room where the desk, computers, and boxes were. San and Seonghwa were next to me too, and a few steps closer to the tunnel was Wooyoung, who was looking at the fight from a distance.

Only Jongho, Yunho, and Mingi were left to face the men in lab coats. Yunho did something similar to what he did with the guards outside the building, so the weapons were strewn useless across the ground. Mingi knocked a few of the men out before they could retrieve the guns, and the rest of the men kept retreating, stumbling backward and eventually falling flat on top of each other.

My nerves jump with astonishment when I realized that their hair was ruffling and their lab coats were flapping as if there was a storm inside the tunnel. I took a look at Jongho, saw his outstretched arms and bent knees, and guessed it had something to do with his powers.

"Wooyoung teleported you here." I turned around when I heard San's languid voice. One of his hands was on the back of his neck and he sat slumped on the desk chair. 

I thanked San even though I figured myself that my dizziness came from teleporting. My mind was already on something else, and the alarming thought made me spin around in a panic.

Now I was facing the bed, where Hongjoong was. Relief rushed through my veins when I saw CEO Yun Jiyeong lying still on the floor and his father - looking incredibly provoked but too debilitated to do anything - on the bed. I didn't see what happened to Jiyeong, but since Hongjoong could read minds, it wouldn't be surprising if he did something to the CEO's mind and rendered him unconscious.

Hongjoong was standing next to Yeongcheol with a frown on his face, his hand turning white from squeezing the side rail of the bed. 

"No more games. Tell us where you hid them." Hongjoong's grim voice sounded exceptionally loud in the secret bunker, which was now silent since the battle in the tunnel had ended.

Just to make sure, I turned around to check. All thirteen of the men were sitting on the ground, tied down by a makeshift rope made from their lab coats. Most of them were too heavily injured to even move.

Yunho, Jongho, and Mingi were carrying the guns and walking towards us. They dropped the weapons on the floor and leaned against the wall as soon as they exited the tunnel, breathing heavily. The rest of us, except for San, gathered around the bed. 

Yeongcheol smirked. "The deal still stands. If you can make a decision quickly this time, I will tell you where they are." 

Hongjoong slammed his fist against the rail. That elicited a patronizing response from the old man. "Calm down, kid. Anger isn't good for your health. You have to keep calm to make a decision."

We were standing so close together I could feel the anger radiating from everyone surrounding the bed. Maybe even from the three others still leaning against the wall behind me. 

I squeezed my hands and released the fist slowly to stretch my fingers, taking deep breaths too to calm myself. As much as I didn't want to, what Yeongcheol said wasn't total nonsense. Anger was kryptonite to rationality and a clear mind. San had to sacrifice his powers to prove that, and I wasn't going to let that same mistake happen.

"Can't you read his mind?" I whispered to Hongjoong before he, or anyone else, lost their temper again.

Hongjoong shook his head almost imperceptibly. "He has to be thinking about the place in order for me to get the information. But his mind is blank, and I can barely get inside as if he knows he has to hide it."

I felt my hands tightening into fists subconsciously as I struggled to think of another solution. Instead, I grew flustered from feeling the despair growing inside me. If we couldn't make the culprit tell us the answer, we had to find the answer ourselves. We could search the bunker, but how long would that take? Yeongcheol had to have more men, and if they attacked without warning like just now, then...

My body heated up, agitated because my thoughts were leading nowhere. No one was asking me for an answer. No one was even looking at me, but the silence and the frustration that seemed to leak out of us and fill up the room was pressuring me to find a solution.

Driven by desperation, I impulsively wanted to just accept the deal. We could make a decision again, since we failed to make one last time. 

Unfortunately, there weren't always second chances.

A door slammed opened somewhere behind us. I spun around frantically, ears ringing with another stampede of footsteps. The sound was near traumatizing.

Yunho, Jongho, and Mingi advanced cautiously back into the tunnel but stopped after a few steps. I looked past them and understood, with a tremor, why. Balls of orange fires dotted the end of the tunnel. They cast a glow against the group of men, who were wearing masks, and more importantly, holding flame torches.

That was all my mind could catch up with before a high-pitched clang of glass shattering made my heart leap. I swiveled around just in time to see Jiyeong throw a lit match towards the desk. Yeongcheol had another mysterious glass bottle in his hands, but I didn't have to guess what was inside because as soon as the match touched the desk the whole area lit up in roaring flames.

"On second thought, I think it would be easier if I just killed you all." Yeongcheol's chilling laughter sent shivers throughout my body. He threw another bottle. I saw the kerosene spilling everywhere.

Hongjoong swore loudly. "You crazy bastard!" 

I edged away from the fire slowly. Seonghwa was holding San and dragging him into the tunnel. Hongjoong hesitated, but left the bed eventually and walked hastily towards me. 

The wall of flames to my left was spreading at an alarming speed. The wooden desk and the cardboard boxes were only making it worse. The evidence - if there were any to begin with - was going to turn to ashes. 

I shook that thought away and scanned the area, looking for an escape route. The heat was starting to become unbearable. I had to kneel down, like everyone else, to avoid the black smoke. Tears were already stinging my eyes. 

"I can teleport us outside!" Wooyoung shouted, already holding San's hand. I blinked to ease the burning sensation from the tears. When I could see clearly again, San was already gone.

I turned my attention to the masked men. They were blocking our two escape routes - the elevator we used to come here and the door they came in from, which I assumed was a staircase. 

Yunho snatched some of the flame torches, but they were too hard to extinguish without water. 

Wooyoung held out his hand to me. "Come on-" He covered his mouth as he launched into a coughing fit. 

I almost took the hand, but then something crossed my mind and I looked behind my shoulder. Through the flames, I could still see a man's silhouette on the bed, which meant Yeongcheol was still there. Did he not plan a hidden escape route?

I shook my head at Wooyoung. "Take Yeongcheol first. We still have to figure out where the mothers are." Speaking clearly was almost painful with a hoarse throat that came from breathing in the smoke.

"You want me to save that old-" A series of coughs interrupted him again. That made him give up on arguing, and he ran back into the room to get Yeongcheol. 

Jiyeong emerged from the flaming room and staggered towards the masked men. Mingi stood up and tackled him onto the ground. The CEO struggled under Mingi, stretching an arm at his men while he shouted for them to wait for him. 

The men glanced nervously at the status of the room behind us and decided to leave without their boss, pouring more flammable chemicals on the floor and dropping their torches before closing the door.

Mingi released Jiyeong. Even though the men were gone, we still couldn't cross the sea of fire they left behind. 

Wooyoung kept offering his hand to me, but I kept refusing and insisted him to help the others first. I couldn't shake the feeling that I was missing something, especially when Yeongcheol had no plans to escape from the fiery hell he created.

By the time only Jiyeong and I were left, the whole secret bunker was blazing with bright orange and yellow flames. Lightheaded from the smoke and the heat, I could barely speak when Wooyoung appeared in front of me for the last time.

"Yeosang!" I jerked my shoulder away before Wooyoung's hand could touch it. A flash of disbelief crossed his expression. I ignored it and raised an arm to point towards the other man in the tunnel.

"Are you crazy?" Wooyoung's voice was raspy. "Look, I can only take one. It will be too dangerous if I teleport back. Do you understand?" Wooyoung's eyes were watering just like mine.

I jabbed my finger towards the CEO again. I couldn't give in even though I understood clearly. Not only was leaving a person behind to die very wrong and selfish, but I still had something to figure out, and I didn't want the side effects of teleportation to cut off my train of thought.

One thing I didn't understand was why Yeongcheol decided to set the place on fire with him inside. He wanted to extirpate all evidence that could point to what he did fifteen years ago because he wanted to start again fresh and gain fame as a successful scientist, so it didn't make sense that he would kill himself _and_ his son in order to get rid of us.

Wooyoung shouted something about me being irrational and ludicrous, but I wasn't. There were no emotions muddling with my thinking right now - only the intense urge to make sense of everything. 

"I'll explain everything later-" I barely got the words out before I began gagging at the bitter taste of smog. 

Further, if he killed both his son and himself, no one would make sure that the secret is forever buried. What if we escaped and used our powers as evidence? What if we eventually found the mothers held captive? This plan was too risky, unless...

"Sorry Yeosang, I won't forgive myself if I don't do this!" I felt a sudden hard squeeze on my shoulder, followed by the familiar throb in my head.

"No!" The word came out of my mouth way too late. I was already outside with the rest of the group. Distant sirens traveled into my ears. I almost lost balance when I spun around, looking for Wooyoung and Wooyoung only.

He was on the ground next to me, coughing and breathing raggedly.

"Bring me back!" I bent down and squeezed his shoulders as hard as I could.

He pushed my hands away and swore at me. The people around me thought I was in shock and tried to calm me.

"You have to. You don't understand." I reached for his wrist this time and tightened my fingers around it with as much force as possible. 

My internal organs twisted in protest and my skin screamed with pain. The shock worked. I was back inside the bunker, surrounded by flames. My eyes watered instantly and my lungs burned, but I pushed myself towards the bed, shaking Wooyoung off every time he tried to touch me. 

I had only one chance to see whether I guessed correctly. My heart hammered in my chest as I knelt down and looked under the bed. On the wall right under where the pillow would be, I saw a hint of blue among the splashes of orange.

I pressed the button without hesitation, barely registering the searing pain at the tip of my finger.

A hiss sounded from behind me. I stood up and turned around. Wooyoung was staring at where the sound came from. Everything was engulfed in flames, but I knew from memory that I was facing a wall. So when a door opened, I knew my answer was correct.

"What the hell...?" Wooyoung muttered, edging closer to the door.

Setting the bunker on fire didn't make sense at all, unless Yeongcheol knew he was going to destroy the strongest piece of evidence by doing so.

I joined Wooyoung by the doorway. A rush of cool air greeted me. Pass the door was another secret room, and three women were huddled inside, staring wide-eyed at us.

My eyes drifted naturally to one of them. A single word clogged up my throat.

"Mom?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeosang is so smart! XD They are short on time because of the fire but luckily he figured it out before it was too late! Now all the secrets are uncovered...or so it seems...?


	24. An End?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> To end or not to end...that is the question!

_June 5, 2018_

**Hongjoong**

I was staring at the spot that Yeosang and Wooyoung just was seconds ago. With the memories from the secret bunker still fresh in my mind, it was as if I could still feel the scalding heat on my skin, smell the fumes in the air, and hear the crackling sounds from the fire. 

"Will they be okay?" 

I turned around and saw Jongho sitting on the ground next to Yunho. His eyes were fixed onto the dirt below him, so I wasn't sure if he was asking me or just wondering aloud. In the end, it didn't matter whether I replied or not because I didn't know the answer to that question.

The seconds counted up in my head. _5...6...7...8..._ The bigger the number got the deeper my heart sank under the weight of dread. _12...13...14...15..._ I told myself that Wooyoung was trying to bring Yeosang back right at this moment, but my heart wouldn't stop sinking. 

When I reached the thirty-second mark my legs began to grow weak. Seonghwa had called 119 and the sirens were so close my eardrums were vibrating, but help was still not here yet. 

An image of what it might look like inside filled up my head involuntarily - there was nothing left but flames, smoke, and ashes. I pushed that imagery away before it could move to the two people trapped inside.

Something red appeared at the corner of my eye. A short burst of hope made my heart race as I caught sight of a firetruck. I was about to run towards it when Mingi's shout seized me.

"Mom?!" 

I spun around, my rapid pulse thrumming in my ears. Yeosang was back, an old woman next to him. I caught a glimpse of Wooyoung before he disappeared again. Mingi collapsed onto the floor next to his mother and broke into tears. By the time I figured out what was happening, Wooyoung had brought back two other women.

Seonghwa and Yeosang reunited with their mothers just as the firemen filed out of their trucks.

Looking at the heartwarming scene made my nose turn sour. I bit my lip, feeling a pang of jealousy cut through my heart.

"I think Wooyoung should go to the hospital." San's voice pulled me out of the pool of self-pity, and suddenly I was giving advice that sounded more like orders because of my bitter mood.

"There are a few ambulances next to the firetrucks. Can you bring him there?" I said. Wooyoung was leaning against San, his lips pale and his eyes half-lidded.

I faced Seonghwa, Yeosang, and Mingi even though I couldn't meet their eyes. "You should probably go with your mothers to the hospital." They trailed slowly towards the ambulances, barely giving me any attention

Finally, I turned to Yunho and Jongho. They were both frazzled from the battle back in the tunnel, so I suggested them to go check up too, but they refused. 

"We're okay," Yunho said, standing up shakily. "It feels wrong to leave just like this. And we have to explain to the police what he did." He pointed towards Yeongcheol. I couldn't believe I almost forgot about him.

The man, weak from his illness, had passed out in the process of teleporting out here. I waved a paramedic over and they carried Yeongcheol to the ambulance with a stretcher. 

Jongho stood up in the meantime as well, and the brothers were standing next to me, watching the police cars come to a stop behind the other vehicles. Now that most of the people were gone and the shock from everything that happened since we broke into the lab had worn off, I finally felt the tension seeping out of my body. 

Despite the relief, I couldn't ignore the awkward air between me and the two people next to me. Yunho and Jongho helped a lot during the fights, so I should at least thank them, but for some reason - even after going through so many things together - I still couldn't find the right words.

"How about you?" Jongho asked.

I turned my head. "Huh?"

"Do you need to go check up? You were in the fire for a long time too."

"Oh, no. I'm fine." I paused, hesitant to go on, but then I saw a hint of sorrow mixed with yearning in both Jongho and Yunho's eyes and remembered that we shared the same grief from losing our parents. 

I felt a sense of loss since I lost my dad because no one could tell me whether I was doing the right thing anymore. If Yunho and Jongho were anything like me, they would want someone to tell them how they did.

"Thank you," I smiled. "For fighting back the men back in the tunnel. And Mingi too, but you helped a lot."

When their faces relaxed with comfort my heart swelled up with warmth. 

"Excuse me sir?" I felt a tap on my shoulder. The unfamiliar voice belonged to a detective holding a notebook. "I'm detective inspector Seo Junsoo. Can I ask you a few questions?"

I nodded. This would be a good chance to get the police on the right track so they could uncover the whole truth without leaving anything behind. 

Detective Seo started by asking for our names and what we were doing here. I told him about the rest of the group that was on the ambulances by now.

He raised an eyebrow at me. "Did you rescue the three kidnapped victims by yourself?"

From my peripheral vision, I saw Jongho and Yunho giving me tentative glances. I conjured up a reasonable excuse to avoid having to explain our special powers. "Yes. There was a hidden door that led to a staircase. We got out that way."

The detective didn't write that down in his notebook. "Okay. How did you know where to look for the victims?"

So many things popped up in my head that I was momentarily at a loss for words. I had figured out everything throughout the course of the past few days, but I still didn't know where to start. 

It was Jongho who helped me. "It's because of what happened fifteen years ago, in Innocreation."

"Inno..." Seo scribbled the word slowly on the page. "...creation. Wait. Isn't that the lab that exploded? And you were barely a child back then. How does that have anything to do with you?"

"It has something to do with our mothers," Jongho replied firmly, as if this was something he wanted to tell other people for a long time. He continued on after that, starting from the unethical experiments Yun Yeongcheol conducted, to the antidotes and the explosion that were used to cover up their controversial practices, and finally to chasing down and neutralizing all our mothers, who were crucial witnesses.

For a long while, Seo just frowned, moving back and forth between his new notes and us with a questioning gaze. Then he cleared his throat and his confused expression was replaced with a professional one. "So all of your mothers were test sub-...participated in the experiments?"

"Yes," I reiterated. "That's why they tried to get rid of them. Our mothers can testify for what experiments Innocreation did."

"One of my friend's mother died...just yesterday." I turned to Yunho, whose eyes were glistening with tears. His hand, on his side, was grabbing on to part of his pants. "Did you find the killer?" Yunho told the detective San's address. 

"I did hear about a murder yesterday, but I'm not in charge of that case. Sorry." Seo's voice was sympathetic, but anyone could tell from his blank expression that he felt nonchalant about the whole issue. 

The tips of my ears burned just lightly with a mixture of anger and disbelief. How could he not know a single thing about a murder case as a police detective? San's home wasn't too far away from here, so it had to be within his division's purview. It looked like to me that he avoided the question so he could focus on the case he was solving right now. 

"Junsoo! What's taking you so long? We have to check inside the lab." Another man approached us from afar, so I swallowed the words that were already at the tip of my tongue and settled with a hard glare towards the detective. 

The new detective didn't introduce himself, but I recognized him immediately. He was the officer who sent Seonghwa and me away yesterday. 

"Wait. You are..." He raised a finger at me.

"Yes. I came here yesterday, _detective._ " That caught him off guard and his pupils were darting everywhere trying to avoid eye contact. He was clearly flustered.

"Sunbae, what is he talking about?" Detective Seo asked.

"We'll talk about that later," the unnamed detective replied, waving a dismissive hand at his partner.

I refused to let this go. It was my fault for calling the police yesterday, and the detective's attitude only confirmed how big of a mistake it was. "You would have found the secret bunker if you actually searched the lab. And if you called in the professionals you could've found the other secret room where they kept Seonghwa, Yeosang, and Mingi's mothers."

I raised my voice towards the end. My voice was trembling with frustration that I would never be able to forgive myself for the poor decision I made. 

Seo murmured something to his sunbae, who widened his eyes in surprise. Then he looked up at me with feigned humility on his face. "It was our mistake for not searching thoroughly. Everything will be sorted out soon."

I could hardly believe what I just heard. The insincerity in the detective's voice was like needles to my ears. How could he have the audacity to lie straight to my face _again_? My lips, which were tightly pressed together, couldn't take the pressure from the rage rushing up my throat into my mouth. 

"Stop lying! You didn't even search in the first place! You were probably bribed by the CEO! Or maybe you're scared of making a mistake and falsely accusing a person with high status. Either way, you didn't even try." 

I felt a gentle grip on my arm. That was when I remembered that Yunho and Jongho were next to me all along. But I didn't care; I had to finish what I was saying. 

"You didn't even care that someone's mother went missing! How can you call yourself a human?! Let alone a detective?!"

"You- you...How...how dare you talk to me like that? Who do you think you are?!" The detective spluttered, his face red with humiliation and anger. He tried to get close to me but Seo held him back firmly.

"Sunbae, calm down..." Seo turned to me. "Kim Hongjoong-ssi, I have to ask you to calm down too."

In the meantime, Yunho and Jongho were coaxing me to end the interview and just leave. "Hongjoong-hyung, let's just go to the hospital and join the others. Or you can go home if you want to. It's all over now. Don't get yourself worked up," Jongho said. I was too heated to notice the change in title Jongho used to address me. 

The senior detective huffed as he turned around and left with his partner.

My eyes dropped to the ground and I sighed heavily. 

"Are you okay?" Yunho placed a hand on my shoulder. I nodded even though I wasn't okay. 

The anger had dissipated, leaving me confused for not knowing exactly why I was so riled up. We saved Seonghwa, Yeosang, and Mingi's mothers, and we proved to the police what happened fifteen years ago, so I should be happy, or relieved, at the least.

"I think your phone is ringing." I looked up at Yunho and realized that I do hear my ringtone coming from my pocket.

I took out the phone and saw that the caller wasn't from one of my contacts. "Hello?"

"Hongjoong-hyung?" It was Yeosang's voice. "I don't know what else to call you. -ssi sounds too formal and just Hongjoong is rude."

I didn't know why we were suddenly discussing honorifics when he clearly called me for something else, but I figured I might as well clear this matter up. "Hyung is fine. Why did you call me? And how did you get my phone number?"

"Seonghwa-hyung gave me your number."

"Why didn't he call me himself?"

"He doesn't want to."

That reminded me of Seonghwa's jet black eyes and unapproachable disposition when I first met him. I couldn't understand him. 

I brushed that memory off. "So what's the matter?" 

"I think you should come to the hospital first." Yeosang told me the name of the hospital.

I frowned at Yeosang's flat tone. "Why? Did something happen?" I was already walking towards the path that would lead me down the hill and back to the main road.

"We think that Wooyoung's uncle helped Yun Yeongcheol."

I froze in my tracks, then turned to Yunho and Jongho with wide eyes. Something cold wrapped around my heart. That was when I understood why I was so angry back then. It was just resentment that the police weren't doing their jobs well. It was also fear that they wouldn't find the whole truth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oopsies, it's not quite over yet...Will the whole truth be uncovered? Do the members trust each other enough to admit to the truth, now that they went through so much together?


	25. A Hidden Part of the Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The members get into a dispute again after they find out the truth behind Wooyoung's uncle.

_June 5, 2018_

**Seonghwa**

I gave Yeosang Hongjoong's phone number because I couldn't talk to him myself.

We were in the hospital, and even though it seemed ridiculous to me that we were all cramped into the same ward, no one was bothered by it. Mingi and Yeosang's mothers were on their beds on one side of the room, and my mother was next to me, on the other side. The last bed was on my right, where Wooyoung sat looking dazed after what our mothers said.

After the shock wore off and they were ready to listen, we put together a summary of events leading up to the moment we found them in the secret bunker. It was barely coherent considering how we threw in random fragments of what little we remembered during the thrilling experience whenever we felt like it, but our mothers understood enough of it to be able to correct our mistake.

"He wasn't a scientist," my mom had said, her face stricken with fear as she recalled whatever she'd seen.

"What do you mean?" I wrapped her shaking hands with mine. "It's okay, mom. You don't have to say it."

She shook her head petulantly. "It was a journalist. Not the scientist."

"Yes, yes. The journalist. That man. I remember his camera."

"What journalist? What are you talking about?" Mingi's voice cracked as he asked his mother.

"I t-thought...h-he was h-helping us..." A chill spread at the back of neck as Yeosang's mother spoke. Yeosang pulled his mother into a hug and hushed her quietly.

My mother was staring at me with pleading eyes, but something had welled up in my throat and I couldn't speak. Instead, I twisted my rigid neck to look at Wooyoung. His pale lips, lowered head, hunched back, and unblinking eyes said clearly what he wasn't going to say.

"Wooyoung..." San angled his head to meet Wooyoung's eyes. "They can't...they're not talking about your uncle, right? Your uncle wrote the notes. He was going to tell everyone about the experiments...right?"

The last word hung in the air for a long moment before it finally disappeared as a question that would never be answered.

The last of the sun's rays retreated into the ceiling as the sky turned gray. A shadow settled inside the room, replacing the magical orange tint the few minutes of sunset had brought us. It was lively when we first arrived, the reunion still too good to be true as we cried tears of joy and shared heartwarming embraces.

Now the moment had passed, our voices were gone, and the colors had faded.

I thought about calling Hongjoong just so someone else could solve the problem. "Yeosang, can you call Hongjoong? I'll give you his number." I told him I couldn't explain the situation, even though it was something else that bothered me.

The day I met Hongjoong never left my mind. I never got over how he read my thoughts like a book when we talked about my mother. That secret had been with me my whole life, but he took it straight from my deepest memories without my consent and all it took was a simple look into my eyes. Him knowing about my secret before I even got to know him felt like I had learnt to fly before I even knew how to walk. How could I walk normally ever again after that?

A tug at my arm brought my attention to my mother. She wanted me to call dad.

I stretched my lips into a smile. "Later, mom. Later." Wearily, I watched Yeosang talking softly on the phone.

Hongjoong, Yunho, and Jongho arrived ten minutes after Yeosang hung up.

Hongjoong rushed into the ward, the other two trailing behind with worried faces. "What do you mean? What do you mean Wooyoung's uncle worked for Yun Yeongcheol?" He looked at Yeosang first, then moved on to Wooyoung. Neither of them said anything, so Hongjoong's gaze landed on San and then Mingi next. When he got to me I avoided his gaze completely.

Wooyoung slipped out of his bed slowly. "I'll explain everything. Let's go outside so we don't disturb your mothers." His monotone voice was deep.

I reassured my mother that everything was fine and she was safe and that we would go home soon, and left her only when she smiled.

I followed the others outside into a balcony resting area. We were the only ones and the chairs were empty, but no one sat down. Lamps hanging from the barricade flickered on just as Wooyoung began to talk.

"I always thought it was weird that my mother disappeared right after my uncle visited us that night. He only talked to my mother, so he was the last person to see my mom before she died." Wooyoung paused to look up at the sky, his eyelids flitting rapidly. Still, his voice was steady as he continued.

"My dad seemed to know something but he never told me, until my uncle's death anniversary a few days ago. He gave me the notebook then, and when I read the contents I thought my uncle was helping my mother, but I guess not. The notes were incomplete, so I thought he was killed, but why would they leave the notebook if their goal was to destroy the evidence?"

I looked away from Wooyoung. I didn't want to listen anymore, because I knew what was coming and I knew I wouldn't like it. An evening breeze sent the decorative plants rustling. Wooyoung was taking too long to say it.

"He wasn't killed. He faked his death. That's the only way to explain this. My dad didn't talk about my uncle because he had nothing good to tell me. I should've known when the mortgage for our house was paid off all at once. My uncle was bribed into doing this." Wooyoung stopped there. One of the lamps illuminated his left hand that was clenched tightly into a fist.

"But he helped you pay off the debt, so he must've felt guilty, right?" 

I lifted my head at Yunho. What kind of question was that? All that mattered was that Wooyoung's uncle kidnapped our mothers. Why show any pity to a man like that?

It took me a moment to realize that I have spoken out loud. Yunho was staring at me with a wounded expression, Wooyoung's head sunk even lower than it did in the hospital ward, San had a hand on Wooyoung's shoulder, Hongjoong was giving me a death glare, and the others were busy diverting their gaze to avoid looking at me. My anger lashed out so quickly I couldn't rein it back inside in time.

Shame clenched my heart only for a split second before indignation flooded the inside of it, making it beat painfully against my rib cage. I was right. There was an acceptable reason for me to be upset.

I spun around. I would bring my mom to another hospital, closer to home. Then I would call-

A sharp sting around my right wrist stopped me. My right hand was filled with a tingling, numbing sensation. I wanted to shrug it off but my right arm wouldn't move, as if I didn't bother trying because I knew I wouldn't succeed...wait.

I snapped my head over my shoulder and glared at Hongjoong. "Get the hell out of my head."

"Apologise to Wooyoung and Yunho first."

A scoff escaped my lips. "I understand why Yunho, but why should I apologize to Wooyoung when his uncle is the reason I almost lost my mom?"

It was too late to step back from the sensitive topic.

"But you didn't. You still have a mother. Apologize before I make you."

My right arm was still locked in position, its connection to my brain severed by an incomprehensible force. Not only that, there were more people right behind me that could do much more than trick me into thinking I couldn't move my limb. I had to think carefully about my next actions.

"Fine." As soon as I said that my arm wriggled out of Hongjoong's grip. I exercised the feeling back into my right hand as I faced the group again.

I felt like a reprimanded child as I apologized to Yunho. Then I turned to Wooyoung and said the word begrudgingly. "Sorry."

"You have to say what you're sorry for," said Hongjoong.

I wanted to walk away from this conversation before it turned into an argument, but Hongjoong didn't really leave me with a choice here.

"How? How can I apologize to someone who should be apologizing to me?! Ask Mingi and Yeosang, they would understand!" My throat ripped apart as I shouted. A few people flinched at the noise, but Hongjoong stood still and stared at me with stern eyes, which sent another wave of burning anger up to my lungs.

"You can read minds! You're doing that right now, aren't you? Then why don't you understand how I feel?!"

Hongjoong strode up to me, the distance between us closing in an instant.

"Hongjoong-hyung-" I heard Jongho say. I was temporarily amused by how he called Hongjoong like a friend, because I guaranteed he wouldn't feel the same if Hongjoong stole his secret.

Hongjoong waved him away. "It's okay. I only want to talk."

"I have nothing else to say to you," I said bluntly.

"Then listen."

I waited, holding his gaze and challenging him to mess with my head again.

"The truth is clear and your mother is safe. We know who did it and the police will arrest him. There's no need to be so hostile."

"Why are you being so nice to him?! Shouldn't you be at least a little bit angry that Wooyoung kept this from us when he started to have suspicions a long time ago? You forgave Mingi easily too, even though he never thought to tell us he was Yun Yeongcheol's son." At this point, I was being childish by bringing back old matters, but I couldn't care less.

Hongjoong huffed. "I really can't tell if you're being serious or not. So what if Mingi is Yun Yeongcheol's son? He clearly is on our side. And what does it matter that Wooyoung is related to the person who kidnapped your mother? He didn't do it. Wooyoung didn't do it. It's not his fault!"

"I barely know these people. I barely even know you. Why do you care so much about how I treat them? I didn't want to hate them. All I want is to leave and pretend I never met any of you so I can-"

"How can you say that?!" I widened my eyes in disbelief when he interrupted me. "How can you say that you barely know us when Wooyoung and Mingi are a big part of the reason you escaped that bunker alive?!"

I stuttered, momentarily caught off guard. He was right, but pride wouldn't let me give in. Exasperated and tired of this fight, I muttered, "You still don't understand-"

"No! I understand! I know exactly how you feel and I know exactly what you're thinking right now, but I don't want to say it because I want you to just admit it yourself!"

"Admit what?!" I yelled blindly.

Hongjoong didn't reply instantly, as if giving me a chance to say the right thing, but my fury made a barrier that blocked the words from entering my heart.

When he spoke again, his voice was soft. "Admit that you're not angry, but ashamed that you couldn't protect your mother. Admit that you're putting the blame on Wooyoung because he's the closest person to his uncle you could find. Admit that you're actually scared because you don't know if you could ever find the real culprit who kidnapped your mother."

My breathing slowed. Everything that was on my mind, every single word I refused to say, someone else had said for me. Hearing him read out my thoughts without a single mistake stunned me enough for all the rage to leave my system.

The barrier around my heart crumbled, letting Hongjoong's words sink in deep. Letting my true feelings flow up to my brain at last. I broke eye contact with Hongjoong and stared at a spot on the ground, too ashamed to face anyone.

"I..." I ran a hand through my hair, then rubbed my face with my palms. Nothing worked. I still couldn't speak. Frustration brought tears to my eyes. It was all I could do not to let them fall, to not make myself even more despicable by crying when I was the person who did the hurting.

"I'm sorry," I said finally, when it was clear everyone was waiting for me to talk. "I really am." I forced myself to meet eyes with everyone, starting with Wooyoung and moving on one by one. "I was selfish for saying all those things. I didn't really mean what I said, I was just-"

"Apology accepted." Confused, I blinked at Mingi. "It's getting a bit cheesy."

Wooyoung stepped towards me and placed a hand on my shoulder. "I actually expected you all to hate me after you found out because I would be angry too. So it's okay."  
  
Yunho sighed and I turned timidly towards him. "You did hurt me quite a bit back then, but I'll forgive you if you let me call you hyung. It's nice to have a big brother for a change."

My lips curled up into a smile, the sensation enough to distract me from holding in the tears, which now flowed down my cheeks in relief rather than frustration.

Mingi grabbed our attention when he cleared his throat. "Now that things have settled down, I realized how insensitive I was back in the bunker." He darted his eyes around nervously. "I'm sorry for what I said about your mothers." 

Hongjoong smiled warmly at Mingi. Of course he was the first one to forgive Mingi. The second was Wooyoung, who even shook hands with him.

"I won't forget how you beat me to that man who tried to commit suicide," said Wooyoung. I didn't know what he was talking about, but the understanding that crossed Mingi's eyes were hard to miss. 

Yeosang was reticent, but he managed to express his thoughts indirectly. "Well, being angry is never a good feeling, so I won't punish myself."

Finally, only Jongho and Yunho was were left. Jongho huffed, causing the whole group to collectively hold their breaths. Yunho chuckled awkwardly as he placed a hand on his brother's neck inconspicuously.

Jongho squirmed suddenly, hissing as he shrunk away from Yunho's hand. "Okay fine I'll say it!" He turned to Mingi. "I'm not angry anymore. I would've hurt you with my powers ages ago if I actually hated you."

That made us laugh, but not for long.

Hongjoong shushed us, a frown on his face. "Where's San?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's nice to see them talk things out! But they forgot about San, who just witnessed his mother's death recently...his grief might end up putting him in danger...Read on to find out how!  
> (Thank you for the 1000 hits! XDD)


	26. A Final Struggle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jongho and Yunho meet their final enemy and take him down to avenge their friend San.

_June 5, 2018_

**Jongho**

"Where's San?"

I looked to my left, where San was just standing. Sure enough, he wasn't there anymore. My first thought was that he went back inside, but I quickly dismissed that possibility. There was no reason for him to go back; his mother wasn't there.

"Maybe he went back inside?" Yunho said. I turned to him, sensing the hidden concern under his casual tone.

"We can go check," said Yeosang. Yunho was already walking towards the door.

"Wait." I chased up to Yunho and grabbed his wrist as he was pushing the door open. "San wouldn't be inside." I tightened my grip before Yunho could break away and explained to him why.

Yunho's hand slid away from the door handle and fell limply by his side. The door closed with a soft thud.

"Try calling him."

Mingi, Yeosang, and Seonghwa went inside to check on their mothers; they could make sure San wasn't there too.

I watched Yunho tap his foot impatiently as he waited for San to pick up the phone. I continued watching him as he tried a second time, and a third, until I couldn't keep it in anymore. "Stop." I reached a hand towards Yunho's phone and pushed it away from his ear. "He's not going to pick up."

"What are you talking about?" Yunho turned away from me so he could call again. It hurt to see him acting so stubborn when he clearly knew what was going on.

"Stop!" I raised my voice and yanked Yunho's arm hard this time. "You know what's happening. Don't you remember how you wandered everywhere looking for me?" We locked eyes for a moment, long enough for me to see his stern gaze melt into a bitter one as he turned away.

Feeling pained myself, I let go of Yunho. The memory wasn't really there; I fabricated it from what Yunho had told me. After we became orphans, we had to see a child therapist two days a week. The first few sessions went as successful as those could go, but one day when we were separated into different rooms for an individual talk and I was waiting for my turn, I had apparently walked out and disappeared from the center.

For the rest of the day Yunho, with the therapist, searched everywhere for me. The therapist called the police first, but no one knew where I was. When they returned to the center for the night, I was found in the same waiting room I walked out of.

Later, when the therapist asked me where I was, I had told her that I was looking for the site of the car crash. Of course, I was too young to know I was in a car accident, let alone know my way to the scene.

"San just needs some time," I said quietly. Yunho was clutching his phone tightly.

"I should've talked to him more. He didn't even get a chance to mourn properly yet." The guilt in Yunho's voice made my heart throb.

"It's not your fault," I said, though I couldn't deny that we should've known better than to say that things were over in front of San when the person who killed his mother was probably still on the loose.

A lump formed in my throat when I realized that we haven't even mentioned San's loss after we escaped the secret bunker. The focus was all on the survivors and the truth. The incomplete truth.

"Hello? Detective Seo?" Hongjoong's attention diverted my attention. He was talking on the phone.

All he said was "yes", but each "yes" was softer and lower than the previous, and the frown on his face grew deeper the longer he listened. When he hung up and turned to us, the unreadable expression on his face made my stomach lurch.

"It was the detective," Hongjoong explained. "He said they recovered Jiyeong's phone in the secret bunker and checked his phone log. The last call he made was to someone named 'X' in his contacts, and it was made right before the estimated time of his death."

Yunho stepped closer to Hongjoong. I felt heavy.

Hongjoong drew in a deep breath. "The police called the number. The person who answered said that he would 'get it done soon'."

I widened my eyes. My heart pumped violently even though I could barely catch up with my thoughts.

"Yun Jiyeong must've asked someone else to get rid of all evidence for him before he died," deduced Wooyoung.

Yunho and I turned to each other at the same time. The urgency in his eyes matched the trepidation in mine. We communicated silently. _Whoever killed San's mother will kill the rest._

"We have to look for San," I said to the others, never breaking eye contact with Yunho.

Then we pushed open the door and ran back inside. In the hallway, we pushed aside startled nurses and grumpy patients and halted in front of the hospital ward where we slid open the door roughly, the final bang interrupting the reverent atmosphere in the room.

"Don't leave the room." Yunho's warning was broken into fragments by his heavy breaths.

Seonghwa, Mingi, and Yeosang stared at us with questioning eyes, but I was just relieved that no one was hurt yet. I couldn't guarantee what would happen next though, so I nudged Yunho and pointed down the hallway to continue our search.

We checked the waiting areas, cafes, washrooms, my heart growing heavier every time we had to turn back and try somewhere else.

"Let's try the rooftop." Yunho had to strain his voice to sound hopeful. I nodded and led the way.

At the top of the stairs, I pressed down on a bar and the metal door clunked open, letting in a cool draft. I muttered under my breath when I saw how dark it was outside. There were no lights on the rooftop and clouds covered the starless sky, creating a shield for the waning moon.

Yunho turned on his flashlight on his phone, but the scattered beam couldn't cut past a few inches in front of us. The darkness was so thick that I was afraid my voice wouldn't travel far as I called San's name over and over again.

We reached the side farthest away from the entrance of the rooftop when I heard a really soft sound.

I stopped walking, prompting Yunho to do the same.

"What's-" Yunho cut himself off. He heard it too. Without our footfalls, the sound was easier to pick up. It was a soft whimper.

Yunho swiped his phone around in big arcs. I followed the motion, squinting my eyes at the very end of the beam, where the light was about to fade. Yunho froze in position just as I saw a hint of black on the floor.

I took a step closer and realized it wasn't black. It was dark red.

"San!" Yunho ran past me, the bobbing flashlight illuminating everything in an instant.

A shaky gasp left my parted lips. San was sprawled on the floor, lying on a pool of his own blood. His shirt was a sticky mess but there were two patches that were particularly red - one on his right shoulder blade and one on his right abdomen.

Yunho abandoned his phone to apply pressure on the wounds. "San, talk to me. San...please!" I bit my lip when I saw San's eyes, barely opened to two slits. "I'll bring you to- no, I'll call help. Just-just please stay awake!"

Yunho's desperate cries tore my heart in two. I didn't even hear Wooyoung and Hongjoong catch up to us.

Wooyoung knelt down next to Yunho. "That's going to take too long," he said, slipping his arms under San carefully. "I'll bring him down." He disappeared without a second word.

Meanwhile, Hongjoong had already called the police. Yunho stayed on the ground, his figure small and frail in the middle of all the darkness. I walked up to him and placed a careful hand on his shoulder.

"Go down and check on him. I'll look for the person who did it."

Yunho snapped his head at me and wiped his tears away. "But-"

"He wouldn't attack San for no reason. He's going to kill-"

"I know, but I'm going with you. It's too dangerous."

I shook my head. "It's okay. You should stay with San. I can be stealthy if I go alone. I just have to distract him until the police arrive."

Yunho didn't look convinced, but he didn't protest either.

I turned around, ran straight towards the metal door, slammed it open with my body, and went down the stairs three steps at a time. The hospital ward was on the fifth floor, which meant I had to go down five flights of stairs. My calves were burning and close to cramping by the time I reached the correct floor, but my muscles tingled with electricity and my blood gushed fiercely in my veins, pushing me to continue.

I was going so fast I almost missed him, who was walking up the stairs to the fifth floor. His face wasn't concealed at all; he probably disguised as a normal visitor so he could get past registration without arousing suspicion. The one thing that gave away his identity was the small logo stitched on his jacket. CG for CrossGen.

I tried to slow down as I neared the end of the stairs, but he must've heard my hurried footsteps because the moment he saw me he turned on his heels and jumped down the stairs to escape. So much for being stealthy.

I followed him but stopped as soon as I could see him clearly, then raised an arm and pointed my palm at his back. A gust of wind swept past me, picking up speed as it traveled towards the man. The force reached him just as he was stretching his leg across the steps, tipping him off balance and pushing him onto the stairs where he rolled off and hit the wall.

His groans echoed in the tight space as I approached him and pulled him up by the front of his jacket. Blood from a split on his forehead flowed down the side of his face. His eyes were glassy.

"The police is coming. You can't run away." Pure hatred for the murderer in front of me was making my left fist buzz with energy.

When he smirked I unleashed that energy and raised my arm to land a punch, but at the same moment, his eyes flashed bright with malice, and before I could register what was going on a trail of throbbing pain shot up from my gut up to my chest.

I coiled over and coughed, my lungs burning after having all the oxygen being punched out of me. Two strong hands on my shoulders pushed me backward and I staggered as I watched through teary eyes the man running away again.

With my breath still caught in my throat, my rib cage felt like it was going to crack apart as I chased after him. I would've just suffocated him, except that was near impossible to do when he was constantly moving because it took time to remove the air molecules. Not to mention I had never tried it before. Not intentionally, anyway.

He gained distance when I was still recovering, so on the ground floor, I could see the door swinging shut but not the man, which indicated that he exited the building by the back door. I followed his trail and was greeted by an evening chill as I ran out onto the road.

The back of the hospital was empty. I scanned the place again, making sure I didn't miss any movements in the shadows between the lampposts, but there was no one here.

I cursed and was about to go back inside - perhaps I made a mistake and he didn't run out this way - when a hard object struck the back of my head and forced my neck to snap forward violently. Waves of pain radiated from the point of contact, covering every inch of my skull. I held my head with one hand, which failed miserably to stop the world from spinning.

Black had just started to form around my vision when a solid fist landed on my right cheek, knocking me off my feet. The world turned sideways and I watched it plunge into total darkness before I felt the impact on the side of my body as I crashed onto the ground.

I faded in and out of consciousness as the man pressed my back against the hard road. He climbed on top of me and pulled out something from the inside of his jacket with a chilling smile on his lips.

The object in his hands glinted under the street lamp. My body jerked into full alert, every single cell screaming in pain and alarm when I realized that he was holding a knife coated with dried blood. The knife that pointed straight at my neck.

Invisible hands were trying to split my head in half, the agony shocking me awake each time my soul was about to slip out of my body. I lifted my shaking hands and wrapped it around the man's wrists, using every ounce of strength left in me to keep the sharp edge away from myself.

At the same time, I trained my eyes on the knife, trying desperately to summon a gust of wind that would pull it out of the man's grasp. As soon as I focused on using my powers, black circled my vision again and my body grew numb. My hands went slack and they dropped uselessly by my sides.

The tip of the knife glimmered as it lowered slowly towards my neck. With my senses dulled and my head aching, all I could do was stare at it and watch it touch my skin, drawing the first drop of blood out...

Then the knife began to tremble. I heard confused muttering as the weapon was lifted away, shaking almost uncontrollably. The drop of blood trickled down my neck.

"Jongho! Are you okay? Answer me!"

The familiar sound of Yunho's voice flooded my body with warm relief, alleviating some of the pain.

"I'm okay," I managed to croak out. The man was still fighting with his own weapon, glancing towards Yunho uncomprehendingly every now and then. Using this opportunity, I slid out from under him and tried to stand up with my wobbly legs.

Yunho was standing under a street lamp right next to the back door of the hospital. Sweat dotted his forehead and his outstretched arms were quivering from exertion. He twisted his hands but the knife just rotated, still secured between the man's fingers.

I watched the struggle uneasily. The man had to be really strong to resist Yunho's telekinesis. I wanted to help but I didn't dare risk myself fainting during this life-or-death situation.

All of a sudden the man cried out and charged towards Yunho. I yelled too, stepping a leg out only for it to go weak and crumple under me, bringing my whole body with it. I supported myself with my arms and lifted my head.

What I saw next made my heart leap to my throat.

Yunho was pressed against the wall of the hospital, eyes wide with fear. The man took control of the knife again and stabbed it towards Yunho, but before it reached Yunho's clothes the knife twisted around abruptly. Yunho's eyes were squeezed shut now, but I saw clearly what happened next.

Just like that night during the car crash, Yunho's body did everything for him.

The knife, now pointed at the man, pierced deep inside his stomach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What an action-packed chapter! I hope you enjoyed it (and maybe was sitting on the edge of your seat as you read), especially the part where Yunho came in to save his brother XD The 2ho moments <3


	27. A Few Heartfelt Words

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mingi struggles with his self-conscience, so Hongjoong helped him a bit.

_June 5, 2018_

**Mingi**

For a fleeting moment, flashes of blue and red colored the white curtains drawn over the windows. Dread settled on my shoulders as faint, overlapping sirens filled my ears, making it hard for me to stand up. I moved quietly so I wouldn't wake my mom, weariness weighing down each of my steps as I padded to the door. Seonghwa and Yeosang were right behind me. 

I broke into a run outside, my shoes constricting around my feet each time they pounded against the floor. Something must've happened to San. I would be lying if I said I hadn't seen this coming; things were never that simple, especially when you were trying to piece together a truth.

Things were bound to go wrong when there was still a missing piece of the puzzle, but I chose to ignore it because my part of the puzzle was already fixed in place. Because I got my mother back. 

I smashed the door close button inside the elevator, my other hand clenched so tightly my nails dug into the crevices of my palm. The stinging sensation hurt more from guilt than actual physical pain, because nothing I had done today could change the fact that I was Yun Yeongcheol's son.

The trail of police cars led me to the back of the hospital. The milling crowd and the noise of their chattering overwhelmed my senses with an explosion of stimuli. Police and paramedics paced back and forth, urgent shouts and anxious mutters filled the air, and bursts of white from cameras illuminated the night intermittently. 

My eyes went all over the place until I spotted a figure laying on the ground. There was so much movement around I could barely see it.

The hairs stood up at the back of my neck once I realized what I was looking at. It was a man just inches away from the back wall of the hospital, laying still on the floor. So still, that it could only mean one thing. He was dead.

I turned away before I could take in the details. The world wasn't pretty but I'd rather not have a gruesome image stuck to my mind on top of all the things I had already gone through. 

"Yunho and Jongho are over there." Yeosang pointed towards a makeshift medical station. I prepared myself for the worse as we approached the stretcher and the medics. 

Jongho was on the bed, a bandage around his neck, a few bruises on his skin, and dirt everywhere on his shirt. A medic was fixing an IV drip into his hand. Yunho was sitting on a plastic chair at the side with a blanket draped over his shoulders.

A surge of anger made me clench my jaw. How many more people had to be hurt before this finally ends?

"Are you guys okay?" The medic made way for Yeosang to join Yunho. I stood outside and looked in with Seonghwa. "Where's San?"

At that, my heart dropped to the pit of my stomach. I had almost forgotten about him trying to piece together what had happened here. 

Yunho and Jongho exchanged a somber look and instantly I realized the worst had yet to come. I held my breath and waited for the answer, my ears drumming as blood pumped violently around my body. 

"He was attacked. He's heavily injured and is undergoing surgery now," Yunho explained with a grim tone. He frowned, looking puzzled. "I thought Hongjoong and Wooyoung would tell you."

"They probably just want to stay by San's side," said Yeosang. 

I wished I could brush it off lightly as Yeosang did, but the way I interpreted it was that they didn't think we deserved to know about San. Why would they tell us, when in their eyes we were people who could never empathize with them? They lost their mothers, and we just got them back. There was a whole universe between us and them.

The medic finished the emergency protocol and had to bring Jongho inside the hospital.

"We should check on San too," Seonghwa said as we walked. 

I stopped right outside the entrance, feeling bitter. 

"Aren't you coming?" Seonghwa sounded scornful to me even though I could clearly see the neutral expression on his face and the harmless curiosity in his eyes. 

"I want to make a phone call first," I replied, leaving out the part that I couldn't face Jongho, or San, or any of them, right now. The fact that they forgave me for the awful things I have said didn't seem to make a difference to my heart.

After they had all gone inside, I stepped to the side of the entrance and called my dad.

He picked up on the first ring. "Mingi? You left early in the morning." 

Now that I was finally alone, there was no need to think about everything I say or do. Exhaustion intruded every inch of my body as soon as I let my guard down. Had it really only been this morning when we intruded CrossGen? 

"Everything's okay, right?"

I fought back tears when I heard his deep, warm voice. He cared about me so much and was always understanding when I made mistakes. What would he think if he found out about the selfish things I had said to people who suffered a similar fate as I did? He didn't know anything yet, and I wasn't sure if I wanted to tell him. Things would never be the same if I did. 

"He never called back," my dad continued. I gritted my teeth at the mention of my sorry excuse of a father - my biological father. "You didn't...you didn't go to him, did you?" 

"Mingi? Are you there?" My dad's voice was shaking; I couldn't leave him hanging for any longer.

"Yea." I cleared my throat so I had time to blink back my tears. "Mom's here. I saved her. Well, not only me, but- But she's safe."

I blurted out everything I knew in one go, not giving my dad a chance to interrupt. When I finished I scrambled for a way to end the conversation. 

"So you can come and visit her. If you want. I'll send you the address." My heart ached as I said those words. I couldn't say who or what it was aching for. Maybe for everyone who got hurt today, maybe for the things I have said that I now regretted saying, or maybe for a simple closure after spending a whole day with the victims of my biological father's depraved experiments.

"Wait. Mingi-ah..." 

I leaned against the wall behind me and dipped my head so I was looking at my feet, protected by the only pair of shoes I owned. My dad would only lend me dress shoes if I needed to work in a more formal environment, so the trainers I had now were tattered, frayed at the edges, and tainted with a layer of yellow grit.

"I just want to go home now," I said quietly, gripping my phone hard. 

"Wait- I'll stay home then. We can talk this through-"

"It's okay. Really. I just want to rest, okay? Goodnight." I hung up before my dad could say anything else.

The phone vibrated again as soon as I tucked it back in my pockets, but I ignored it and lifted myself off the wall. 

"Who says you're going home?"

The voice startled me. I spun around and saw Hongjoong, standing right outside the entrance with his hands in his pockets. 

Hongjoong stared at me with genuine curiosity. He didn't look like he had important things to say. 

"Me. It's not like I'm needed here anymore." A pang of guilt urged me to walk away now and I did, wanting desperately to leave everything behind.

"Actually, I need you to help me right now."

I froze, a strange feeling spreading through my body. I wanted to shrug it off and believe my instinct that it was just a lie to trick me, but why would he do that? Why would he lie to get me to stay? 

Dubious about his intents, I turned around. Hongjoong locked his unblinking eyes with me immediately, his posture still relaxed as he waited for my response. In a world where I had to fight for every single meal, I learned to tell when someone was lying. And Hongjoong wasn't.

"For what?"

Hongjoong pointed a thumb over his shoulder. "I want to talk to the detectives."

"Why do you need help with that?" I raised my eyebrows, the first sliver of skepticism raising red flags in my mind. 

"Because you look intimidating. And that'll help convince them." 

"Convince them?"

It was Hongjoong's turn to raise his eyebrows. "That Yunho acted in self-defense. He killed the hitman who worked for Yun Jiyeong. Didn't they tell you?"

My head ached slightly as realization dawned on me. They did tell me; I just wasn't listening. 

"Are you coming or not?"

I hesitated but I ended up having no choice anyway because the detective found us first. 

"Mr. Kim? It's you again." The detective glanced briefly inside the hospital before walking towards us. He was holding a pen and swinging it up and down at us. 

While I have never seen the man before, Hongjoong looked like he was going to bore holes into the detective with his contemptuous gaze. 

"It doesn't seem right that you know my name when I don't know yours." I was surprised to hear the venom in Hongjoong's voice. 

Flustered, the detective stopped playing with his pen and shoved it inside his shirt pocket. When he took his hand out, an ID card was hanging between his fingers. He raised at my eye level - which was a bit higher than Hongjoong's - and introduced himself. "I'm Detective Chief Inspector Lee Yeongho." 

"You were late," Hongjoong said as detective Lee lowers the card. 

"I'm sorry?"

"Someone almost died." Hongjoong hissed through gritted teeth, his hands clenched into fists by his sides. Something had to have happened between the two for Hongjoong to act so aggressively. "You checked Yun Jiyeong's phone records. You should've come check on us."

Lee was absolutely baffled. "The phone call had cryptic messages. We couldn't conclude anything for sure. The system is not that simple. I can't send a whole team just because I have a hunch that something will happen."

"That's the problem with you! You wait until _after_ things have happened before you actually do anything." Hongjoong's raised voice was starting to attract a few nosy stares from passing pedestrians. 

The detective's face contorted with anger. "Mr. Kim," he took a deep breath. "We can discuss this topic next time. I'm here to investigate a physical assault and what might be a manslaughter case."

I eyed Hongjoong nervously at the mention of Yunho's encounter with the hitman. 

"That wasn't manslaughter." I saw the faint outlines of veins on Hongjoong's neck as he spoke. "He was defending himself."

"That's why I said it _might_ be manslaughter." Lee put his hands on his hips and let out a frustrated sigh.

"No, you actually think it's manslaughter." Hongjoong sounded sure of himself and I never doubted him because he probably read the detective's mind. But the detective didn't know, and that was the problem.

Thankfully, Lee was interrupted before he could lose his temper.

Another detective walked up behind him. "Sunbaenim, I thought you were going to question..." He must've trailed off after seeing the hostile look on detective Lee's face. 

"Yes. Go in first. I'll finish things up here." Lee paused, then added, "Make sure he tells you his exact movements." He turned back to us, swiping his bangs away ostentatiously.

"So like I said..." Detective Lee continued.

I watched the other detective enter the hospital. He would go to the reception and ask for the victims of the incident that happened behind the building. Then he would be able to find Yunho and Jongho, where he would begin his questioning. 

Then the images started to materialize in my head. Images of Yunho sitting next to Jongho's bed, him standing up reluctantly, then following the detective somewhere private, and finally squirming under the incriminating questions. 

I didn't know why I was imagining the sequence of events that would unfold inside the hospital, but it did remind me that the least I could do was stand on their side. Hongjoong did ask me to help, after all.

"...know after a thorough investigation. If you don't have any more questions, I have to do my job." Lee turned towards the entrance without waiting for an answer.

I could tell, even from my peripheral vision, that Hongjoong had run out of things to say and was slouching like a deflated balloon. 

Before my brain could stop me, I stretched out a hand and grabbed the detective, applying just enough force to make him grimace as he turned to face me. I loosened the grip but didn't let him go.

"This behavior can be counted as obstructing a police officer." 

His supercilious tone sent my nerves buzzing with anger. "I'm obstructing you so you won't make a mistake. Yunho was acting in self-defense. You can't arrest him."

He shouted back incredulously. "This again? It's our job to investigate. Not yours. On what basis are you saying that anyway? The struggle happened in a blind spot of the only security camera in that area. Even we don't know anything."

I glared at the detective's soulless eyes and pretended that he was one of my bosses whom I wanted to scold back at for the past few years. Back then I had to swallow it all in to keep my job, but there was no need for that here.

"You do know. You know Yun Jiyeong called his hitman before he died to get rid of the last three test subjects of the experiments, so you know the hitman was an experienced killer." I spat at the shorter man in front of me, ignoring the stares directed at us from everywhere. 

"I get that you're saying your friend - Yunho, is it? - would have to defend himself from a dangerous person, but that can't be-" 

I caught the condescending tone hidden under his feigned friendliness, and it dissolved the last bit of patience left in me. "There was a witness! You have to question him too. He saw everything. He will tell you that Yunho had no choice in his situation."

"And how would you know he had no choice if you weren't there?!" The detective tried to twist his hand away but I grabbed on, squeezing it as hard as possible. He bit his lips, trying not to cry out.

I was stalling for time so I could find something to say. This was a losing battle from the start. For all my life I solved problems with my hands, with hard work and labor. Not words. Not logic. Not brains. 

I opened my mouth hopelessly, preparing myself to back off, as embarrassing as it was. But all of sudden the words popped up in my head and rolled off my tongue as if I was reading off an invisible script. 

"I don't know! But I do know Yunho lost both of his parents. He was probably trying to save his brother, but he was also trying to protect himself so his brother wouldn't lose the only family he has left!"

When the last word left my mouth I relaxed my hand and let the detective's arm slide away between my fingers. I breathed heavily, equally stunned as the detective with what I said. I stepped back, unsure of what to do in this awkward situation. My eyes roamed around to avoid eye contact.

And then I saw them. Behind Detective Lee was his partner who walked in just a while ago. And with him was Yunho, who stared at me with glistening eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry...I just couldn't resist putting a subtle Yungi moment in here (hehe)


	28. A New Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [Final (official) chapter] With all the mysteries solved, the eight young men prepare to get on with their own lives. Who knows? One day they might meet again, either as normal friends or as trustworthy teammates.

_June 6, 2018_

**Hongjoong**

Yunho walked out at the most opportune moment. 

I had only planned to talk to Mingi so he would realize he was helpful to the team and that no one hated him for being related to Yun Yeongcheol. His negative emotions were so intense they were intruding my mind even while I was waiting outside San's operation room in the hospital, so I felt like I had to do something. 

Even more so when I walked out and heard him say he was planning to go home. 

Now that Yunho heard what he said, I hoped Mingi would understand that there was no need to feel guilty. 

Detective Lee cleared his throat uncomfortably when he saw his subordinate. I pulled a frozen Mingi aside and told him to wait. 

The two detectives talked to Yunho in hushed voices. As curious as I was, I restrained myself from reading any of their minds just in case the conversation wasn't going in the desired direction. I wasn't sure if I could rein in my temper if that turned out to be true. 

Mingi was eyeing the three obsessively, so I planted myself in front of him to grab his attention. 

"That wasn't so hard, was it?" I couldn't help but smile, pleased that my plan was working well. 

My distraction worked. Mingi tore his eyes away from the detectives and looked at me. "What do you mean?"

I kept the smile on my lips, waiting for him to figure it out on his own. 

Surprised revelation washed over his face like a beam of light across a shadow. "Did you put those words in my head?" The light disappeared as quickly as it appeared. "That's why it didn't felt like it was me talking."

I let myself be amused by Mingi's reaction even though I was actually flustered that I backfired my own plan by teasing him. 

"Who do you think I am? I can read minds and maybe manipulate them a little, but I can't control people like robots. At least, I don't think I can." The idea that I could completely take over someone else's mind was chilling but fascinating at the same time.

"So what did you do?" Mingi sounded hesitant, as if he didn't want to know the answer. 

"You kept blaming yourself because you lowered your guard after we saved your mother and you think San got hurt as a result. You want to go home because you don't know what else to do, but I know. So I just gave you a nudge." 

I read Mingi's thoughts as I talked, noticing the first hint of comfort underneath his confusion and worries. "I kind of...got rid of your insecurities for a moment so you can speak your honest thoughts," I added.

"Those...were my honest thoughts?"

"Yeah. You were just too busy feeling bad for offending us back in the secret bunker to realize it. That we already forgave you. No one is going to blame you for having a mother. You did your part back then and proved that you were on our side."

I chuckled. That was what I was trying to do before we entered the lab: to make everyone understand that we were on the same team. But if I was explaining this to Mingi now, it meant that the message didn't quite get across the first try. 

I sensed that Mingi held back a smile because of my serious tone, so I tried to lighten the mood a little. "If you did return home, we would just wonder if we did something wrong. Everything is over. For real this time. We're happy for you, for Seonghwa and Yeosang too, that you could reunite with your mothers. Everyone is safe. This is a time to be happy, so stop ruining the mood."

That elicited an embarrassed laugh from Mingi.

"What are you two doing here?" Yunho appeared next to us, looking tired but at ease. I took it as a sign that the questioning went well, but snuck into Yunho's mind just to confirm my assumptions. 

After shooting Mingi a meaningful glance, I said, "Nothing much. Let's go back inside." I led the way, leaving the two behind me to talk between themselves. 

It was past midnight but everyone was still wide awake with concern, with the exception of Jongho, who fell asleep after taking some medicine. We left Jongho alone to rest - it was way past visiting times anyway - and returned to the operating room, where San was still undergoing surgery.

The silence was so oppressive that no one could stand or sit still in the waiting area. No matter where I look, the closed translucent white doors and the ominous red light above that illuminated the words "operation" would float inside my head and haunt me like ghosts.

The light flickered off and the doors slid open eventually, but I had completely lost track of time by then.

Yunho abandoned his seat and hurried to the surgeon who walked out of the room. "How is San?"

The rest of us stared expectantly at the surgeon as he took off his face mask and pulled back his surgical cap - all done a bit too leisurely for our liking. Usually, I preferred finding things out myself rather than have someone deliver the news to me, but I was too focused on trying to decipher the unreadable expression on the man's face to read his mind.

My stomach did a somersault when the surgeon lifted his lips into a small smile. "Luckily, he was brought to medical attention quickly enough, so he didn't lose much blood even though the wounds are deep. He'll have to stay here and rest for a few weeks, but don't worry too much - he's in a stable condition."

With a final reassuring nod, the surgeon left the waiting area and disappeared around the corner.

Another silence settled between us - a quiet moment as we reminded ourselves that we weren't just dreaming. I let myself relax at last, already feeling dizzy from using my powers so much the past twenty-four hours.

"Should we go check on San?" Yunho asked.

"The doctor just said he has to rest. Let's not disturb him," said Yeosang. His words were slurring together. 

I stifled a yawn. "We should go back home and rest too. We probably have a few things left to finish up with the police." Yunho looked wearily at the floor as I said that.

Despite what I just said, no one moved. We shared uncertain glances. After an eventful day together, we were still strangers who barely knew each other. A faint buzz disturbed the awkward air.

"My dad's looking for me," Mingi said, taking his phone out. He looked up from the screen abruptly and clarified, "My foster dad."

Soft chuckles filled the room for a short while. Mingi's phone started to ring so he walked to the side to talk to his dad. Seonghwa and Yeosang did the same, calling home to announce their safety. 

I gave Yunho a sad and considerate look before turning to Wooyoung. "Don't you want to call home too?"

Wooyoung shrugged. "Maybe later. My dad's almost never at home anyway, so he doesn't know I'm not home yet."

The sour expression on Wooyoung's face warned me not to push further, so I stepped away from the conversation and talked to Yunho instead.

"Are you going to stay the night here with Jongho?"

Exhausted, Yunho nodded without giving a verbal answer. Not wanting to bother him any more than necessary, I stopped talking. 

"How about you?" It took a while for the question to register because my mind was starting to drift off. "What do you plan to do?" Yunho asked again.

I sighed, thinking hard for the most honest answer. "First and foremost, I have to plan a funeral for my dad." I was too tired to notice the stab of grief that attacked my heart for a brief moment. "After that...I honestly don't know." 

Yunho tried to help me. "But eventually, you'll wake up one day in the morning and go to school like you always did, right? Like any other normal day." 

"I don't know. I don't know if I can go back to how my life once was," I replied, breaking eye contact and scanning the people standing scattered in the waiting area. "Things had stopped being normal since the day I received that piece of paper."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There you have it - a short and sweet ending to my story! Thank you so much for reading it (I know it's not as good as my first ATEEZ ff) XD There's actually another chapter coming that acts as an epilogue and makes the story more complete, but this is technically the final chapter for this fanfiction, so thank you again for checking it out!
> 
> Also, shameless self-promotion and sneak peek: I'm working on a Yungi fanfic right now, and this time it won't be action-based anymore. If you like the romance, fluff, and some drama (and Yungi, of course), then be sure to keep an eye out!


	29. A Year Later

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hongjoong visits his late dad a year later after the incident at CrossGen. Having been living a somewhat normal life after he moved on, he thinks everything is over. Or is it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made this epilogue so there's a more complete ending for the story (it's also kind of a transition between this book and "Resolving Conflict"). Hope you enjoy!

_May 27, 2019_

**Hongjoong**

The cool spring breeze tickled the back of my neck as I bent down to place the bouquet of flowers on the stone slab, angling it precisely so that the words on the gravestone was still clearly visible. The pink peonies stood out against the gray backdrop, just like how my mother was when she was still alive. A colorful addition to the otherwise dull world.

Then I turned to the grave right next to hers and carefully set down the other flowers I brought. The brand new, polished slab complemented the purple hydrangeas and white carnations, instantly livening up my father's resting place. 

I was indecisive for a long time, wondering what type of flowers could accurately reflect my mixed feelings towards my father's death. Now that I looked at the decorated grave, though, I was confident that I made the right choice.

"It's me, dad," I whispered, fighting back tears, "I'll come at least twice every year since mom is right next to you, but during the gaps, I hope the flowers will remind you that I'll never forget how you took care of me until the last moment. Thank you for showing me that newspaper article, because even though it sent me on a ridiculous mission, at least I can come visit mom with a peaceful heart rather than a bitter one."

The tightness in my chest told me it would be a while before I could find the peace to visit my dad. I took in a shuddering breath before continuing, "I also want you to know that I'm doing well. My life has changed since the day you left, but I'm getting through this. Going to school and getting a job is not hard when I know you're watching from somewhere, like you always did."

I raised a hand to wipe away my tears before they could roll down my cheeks. The green grass under my feet, the faint scent of flowers, and the distant chirping of birds were a pleasant change of environment from the bustling city I lived in. There was no one else here, yet I was free from the oppressive loneliness that haunted me when I was at home. 

I dragged my phone out from my pocket reluctantly, knowing before the screen lit up that it was time for me to go if I wanted to catch the last bus.

"I'll come again soon," I said quietly to my parents as I turned around.

My heart leaped when I almost crashed straight into a person's chest. Regaining my composure, I stepped back in preparation for an apologetic bow. As I did so the person's face came into view under the faint moonlight and I froze in place as soon as I recognized him.

"What are you doing here?" It had been so long since I had last seen him, but the first thing I noticed was still those jet black eyes, or rather, how they had changed. Instead of cold and unforgiving like how I remembered them to be, they glinted under the silver light, looking soft and gentle. 

Seonghwa looked around the cemetery and ran a hand through his hair, which was tousled by the wind. "I had a vision..." He stopped here to gauge my reaction. Having learnt that anything could happen, I knew I shouldn't jump to any conclusion, so I waited patiently.

"There were grave robbers and I thought I saw you in it, but I guess I made a mistake," Seonghwa continued. He frowned at what he said and muttered something to himself.

I didn't hear what he said but it was easy enough to guess. "You can stop doubting yourself. You said your visions are always correct, so if you saw me in it then you're at the right place." 

A sudden ruffling startled both of us. We snapped our heads to our left, where the sound seemingly came from. The gravestones there happened to be particularly tall and wide, obscuring even more of our vision in the already misty night.

I shared a knowing glance with Seonghwa and we stepped towards the direction of the sound at the same time. Neither of us thought of calling the police.

We edged past rows of slabs and each found a relatively tall one to hide behind when muffled footsteps disturbed the peace of the souls resting underground. Risking a peek around the corner, I finally saw the two figures, knelt in front of a curved marble wall that took up two times the land of a usual grave. They worked quietly enough that the wind carried away most of the noise they might've made. 

I shrunk back behind my hiding spot, trying not to breathe too heavily as I realized we were in no shape to fight the robbers - I could tell even in the dark that they had tough bodies. I looked across the narrow path to alert Seonghwa, but he was already sending me a message.

He pointed to the robbers, made a finger gun, and then a big 'X' with his arms. So Seonghwa didn't see any guns in his vision. 

Feeling my body heat up, I gestured urgently to Seonghwa by jabbing a thumb back towards where we came from. Investigating the noise was an impetuous decision; this wasn't our business, and it was clearly too big of a risk.

My legs were growing stiff from half crouching, but Seonghwa stayed glued to his hiding spot and stared at me, his expression veiled by the darkness. I frowned when he started to move his hands again, this time in such an erratic manner that I couldn't decipher the message - if there even was one.

I heard a clink and held my breath instinctively. Glimpses of white and gold flashed among the two robbers' silhouettes before disappearing behind another shadow nearer to the ground. They got the grave open now and were taking the jewelry. We had to leave before they finished up, or they would spot us on their way out. 

Tensing my whole body, I began to inch away from the crime scene. Seonghwa could come if he wanted to; I would call the police to settle the situation.

The plan I came up with crumbled before I even made the first step. A figure zoomed past the opposite side of the gravestone I was hiding behind just as a beam of flashlight pierced the night and illuminated the scuffle.

My eyes landed on the person who started the fight and I gasped when his side turned to me. It was Mingi. Where did he come from? That light was coming from somewhere else too.

I wanted to ask Seonghwa what the hell was going on, but I couldn't pull my attention away from the action unfolding right in front of me. 

Mingi was on top of one of the robbers, pinning his opponent's gloved hands on the ground. The other, stubbier robber was shouting threats with a gruff voice as he raised a large bat over his head and aimed it at the top of Mingi's head. I choked on my own scream when the bat swung at its target, only to stop centimeters away from Mingi's now light brown hair.

Stubby hollered in exertion, trying in vain to move the bat. The robber would've never guessed that Yunho was somewhere else, controlling the weapon with his mind. The bat slowly moved away from Mingi, shaking as the robber's hands were forced above his head. His shouts died down into confused mumbles and eventually a groan as the bat flew out of his hands, causing him to lose balance and fall bottom first onto the damp ground.

The robber scrambled to his feet and ran away, abandoning his stolen goods and his partner. Mingi was too busy restraining the bigger criminal to chase after the other, but that didn't matter. 

I stepped out of my hiding spot just in time to see a figure materialize right in front of Stubby's escape route. Since they were out of the flashlight's range, I could only see two blobs of black shuffling between tombstones. 

"Hongjoong-hyung!" I jumped, spinning around to see Jongho. "I finally found you! Are you okay?"

Too stunned to speak, I gave him a cursory nod before turning back to the action. The robber under Mingi had given up, and the shorter one was slowly being dragged into the light by Wooyoung. His nose was swollen and bleeding.

"Why...Are all of you here?" I asked Jongho, barely registering the fact that the friends I scarcely knew just apprehended two grave robbers.

"Yes," Jongho replied.

"I'm going to get some rope," Wooyoung announced abruptly before disappearing into thin air.

"Seonghwa-hyung told us about his vision," Jongho continued.

"What?" I turned around, but Seonghwa was not in his hiding spot anymore. "Just so you can catch the robbers?"

Jongho raised his eyebrows. "Didn't Seonghwa-hyung tell you? He told us that in his vision, you tried to confront the robbers alone and got hurt."

I froze, my mind blank and my heart pumping violently. A few minutes ago I was afraid to get any closer to the crime scene. Why would I go alone? It made no sense to me. "Are you sure he-"

Police sirens interrupted me mid-sentence. Mingi and Wooyoung finished tying up the criminals and stood up. 

Yunho, San, Seonghwa, and Yeosang stepped out of the shadows and suddenly we were gathered all together again, by a weird coincidence. 

"Should we just wait here?" San asked, tucking away a phone. Yeosang stood behind him, glancing cautiously at the robbers every now and then. The sirens grew progressively louder. 

"We can say we're witnesses," Yunho said. "That we're here with Hongjoong-hyung."

"Wait-" I wanted to ask Jongho about Seonghwa's vision, but Mingi wouldn't let me finish.

"The police will believe us, right? We have eight people, so it wouldn't be hard to win two robbers." 

The sirens stopped. In a few minutes, the police would arrive, and we would be questioned. The last bus would be long gone by then, but somehow I knew that wasn't why I didn't feel like confronting the police. 

I glanced at Seonghwa. There was no need to read his mind because everything was written on his relieved expression: that he finally changed the future using his visions.

"Let's leave this place," I said, letting my intuition guide me. "We'll let the police know that they are always one step late. They can't do anything until something happens, so we'll show them that there are people who can."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is officially the end of my second ATEEZ fanfic "Alternare"!! Thank you so much for reading it! I hope you liked the story :) Late Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year everyone!

**Author's Note:**

> Things will be a bit confusing for the first few chapters, but I assure you - it'll slowly make sense! Thank you for checking out my new fanfic!


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